Finding the Fourth
by Hank's Lady
Summary: Starts before the movie but with some changes. Max is dead and David is head vampire. David has Paul, Marko, and Star, but she's only half vampire and isn't what he really wants. He needs to find his fourth and he knows exactly where that person is. Homeless Dwayne is only too glad of some company, but will he be willing to become a vampire? Slash M/M David/Dwayne, blood-drinking.
1. Chapter 1

"What are you saying?" Marko's brow wrinkled as he frowned up at me.

"If you want her, she's yours." I glanced over at the couch where Star sat, huddled up with her arms around herself, awkward as always when I was anywhere near her.

"Seriously? Why?" Marko's frown disappeared, replaced with a smile.

"You always liked her. More than me. And she sure as hell doesn't want to be with me."

"That's unusually generous of you, David. What's in it for you?"

"I want a companion. A real one. She's too weak. I want someone who's gonna fight back once in a while, give me a run for my money." I sighed. I didn't know what I wanted. I had a string of temporary companions behind me, none of whom had given me what I wanted. None of them would take that final step to becoming a full vampire and I'd ended up killing every last one of them. Star was no different, but I knew Marko was quietly crazy about her, so there was no reason for me to finish her off. Maybe he could do something with her, coax her into changing completely, where my impatience prevented me from doing so.

"What are you talking about?" Paul appeared beside me and rested an elbow on my shoulder, leaning on me. I stepped to the side and he staggered, scowling. "What the fuck?"

"I'm not a fucking leaning post," I grunted.

"He's passing Star over to me." Marko smirked. "Can you believe that?"

"Yeah, actually. How many women have you been through, David? Wasn't Star the unlucky thirteen?"

"Something like that." She was the thirteenth I'd tried to turn and failed with. I'd thought she could really be the one and I'd wasted almost six months on her.

"Better start looking for another one for you." Paul chuckled. "Have you told Star what's happening yet?"

"No." I gestured to Marko. "Go for it."

"You really don't want her?" Paul asked.

"No. Same way I didn't want Marie, or Jackie, or Lucy, or Jane, or whoever the fuck else in the end."

"They were all hot as fuck." Paul sniggered. "Shame you buried 'em all."

"They were weak," I groused. "I'm the fucking head vampire since Max was killed. I should have a companion."

Paul shrugged one shoulder. "It's not a requirement, is it?"

"No. But it's what I want."

"It'd be better if we were a foursome again. Four vampires against the world. If Steven hadn't gotten killed—"

"Well, he did." My scowl deepened. "Star was supposed to be the fourth."

"I meant another guy. You said it yourself, the women you picked have all been too weak."

"What are you saying? I should have a _guy _for a companion?" I snorted and sneered at the same time.

"Why not? I didn't mean to fuck, obviously. Unless you want to. I meant to make up the four again, to have your back, be your right hand vamp, whatever."

"Hmm. I suppose it's not a _bad_ idea." I toyed with the suggestion of finding another guy, someone young and strong, attractive and confident, like me. It could work. Maybe.

"We should go out and start hunting. Leave them to have a little chat." Paul jerked his head towards the couch, where Marko had sat down a couple of feet away from Star and was smiling winningly at her. She'd relaxed immediately, seeing it was him and not me. She didn't feel threatened by him.

"Yeah, let's go." I headed for the stairs and within minutes we were on our bikes, heading towards the boardwalk. We parked close to the comic book store and hovered by the entrance, taunting the Frog brothers until their hackles went up and Edgar's hand hovered over the plastic pistol on his hip, threatening to blast us with holy water. The boardwalk was quiet and he'd probably get away with it if we didn't scream too loud.

I turned away and strode past the sideshows and rides to the foot of the rollercoaster. Suddenly I knew what I was looking for.

"What are we doing here?" Paul asked.

"I saw someone around here a while back. Looked like a homeless guy."

"Are you hungry?" Paul grinned.

"No."

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, I am."

"So, go hunt. Meet me back at the bikes in a couple of hours."

"A couple of hours? Ain't gonna take me a couple of hours to feed." Paul rolled his eyes.

"So do something else. I'm gonna check this guy out, see if he might fit."

"Ohhh." Paul nodded in understanding.

I turned away from him and when I looked back, he was gone. I continued forward, stepping into the shadows of the coaster and making my way beneath the steel frame supporting the tracks. Soon enough I saw him, pretty much invisible to the human eye in the darkness. He sat on the ground, legs stretched out in front of him and ankles crossed, hands tucked into the pockets of a threadbare denim jacket. His jeans were torn at the knees, and his sneakers were worn through in places. Long dark hair fell around his face, hiding his expression from me.

I dropped to a crouch a few feet away. "Hey. You okay?"

He lifted his head and his hair fell back from his face. His eyes narrowed and he eyed me warily. His heartbeat picked up its pace and the faint smell of sweat reached my nostrils. "What do you want?"

"I've seen you here before. You live here, or what?" I teased.

His jaw stiffened and he pulled his hands free of his pockets, fists clenched. "Some of us don't have the luxury of a choice."

"I wasn't criticising. You want to get something to eat?"

"What's the catch?"

"No catch." I raised both hands, palms towards him. "Thought you might be hungry."

"Yeah. You could say that."

I edged closer and offered my hand. "I'm David."

"Dwayne." After another hesitation, he placed his hand in mine and shook. His grip was firm and I felt the pulse at the base of his thumb. His skin was grimy and nails filled with dirt.

"Come with me." I rose and backed away.

Another hesitation, then he picked up a battered knapsack and followed me. I'd never seen him on his feet and he was taller than I expected—in boots instead of sneakers he'd be almost my height. We passed a couple of food stalls and I noticed the subtle flare of his nostrils, and the quick lick of his lower lip. The guy was starving.

"What do you want to eat? Hotdog?" I pointed at the nearby stall.

"Anything. Thanks."

I pulled out some money and purchased two hotdogs loaded with onions and cheese, plus a large coke. Dwayne's eyes widened in disbelief when I passed them all to him. "You don't want anything?"

"I already had something." I smiled at him. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." He gulped some of the coke, then went to sit at the side of the boardwalk and ate the first hotdog faster than I'd seen anyone eat.

"Take your time. If you haven't had a decent meal in a while, you might get sick."

He snorted. "What are you? My mother?"

I grinned. "Where is your mother?"

"Dead."

"Shit. I'm sorry," I groaned. "I didn't mean—"

"It doesn't matter. Both my parents died when I was a kid."

"How old are you now?"

"Twenty-one."

"You don't have anyone else?"

"No. I was in care until sixteen. After that—the system doesn't give a shit, you know?" He bit into the second hotdog.

"You've lived like this for five years?"

"Off and on. I get by mostly. It's a bad year though. Too many homeless in this town. There isn't enough room for all of us, or enough people to help. I'd work if I could get anything." He crammed the last bite of food into his mouth, chewed rapidly, then washed it down with coke. "What about you? You don't look homeless."

I laughed. "You might revise that opinion if you saw _where_ I lived. But if you need a place you're welcome to come back with me."

"What do you want in return?" His eyes narrowed again.

"I don't expect payment. I'm offering you a place to stay."

"No one does that without strings of some sort. Mostly they want to fuck you."

"You've done that before?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Once. It's not me. I'd rather starve than let someone fuck me for a bed and a meal."

I swallowed. "You into guys, Dwayne?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?" He lifted his chin defiantly and glared.

"It's not a problem. And I don't expect anything in return. Me and my friends have a huge place up by the bluff."

"Friends?"

"Yeah. There's Paul and Marko and Star. Why don't you come back and see? If you don't like it, you don't have to hang around, right?"

"I guess."

"The others don't expect anything either. Marko has Star. Paul's not into guys."

"Are you?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Okay. I'll go with you." He stood up, finished the coke, and discarded the cup and the wrappers in a nearby trash can. "Thanks for the food."

"You already thanked me," I reminded him. "This way." As we walked back towards the comic book store, I stuck two fingers in my mouth and whistled piercingly. Within seconds, Paul was at my side.

"Paul, this is Dwayne." I gestured to each and they shook hands.

"You didn't waste any—" Paul broke off and glared as I stamped on his foot. "—time on those stupid rides like you normally do."

"Fuck off. I like the coaster." I shoved him and he stepped out of reach.

"So. Dwayne. You coming back with us?" he asked.

"I think so." Dawyne looked at him as if waiting for permission.

"Don't look at me. David's the boss." Paul grinned. "Any friend of his is welcome with me. Same goes for Marko."

When we reached the bikes, Paul sprang onto his and took off, leaving me with Dwayne. "You're gonna have to ride pillion." I swung my leg over the bike.

"Sure." Dwayne climbed on. I heard the pounding of his heart, his blood racing through his veins as he sat with his hands hovering uneasily either side of me, before gingerly slipping his arms around my waist.

"It's okay. Hold on tight." I started the bike and kicked it into gear. Dwayne was heavier than Star and it took me a moment to balance just right. Then we were racing down to the sand and back towards the point. Dwayne's arms tightened around me and he pressed against my back, thighs warm against mine. My nostrils flared as I imagined what he might taste like. My fangs began to slip from my gums as I fantasised, picturing him bare-chested, me tipping his head back, pushing his hair off his neck, and sinking the tips of my fangs in so gently he barely felt it, then sealing my lips over the wound and drawing his sweet blood into my mouth. My pants grew tight with arousal and I almost laughed. I'd never even contemplated doing anything with a guy, but all I had to think about was how his blood might taste as he surrendered to me, and I was rock hard. Could Dwayne be the companion I'd been looking for in forever? Maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

Paul was already back at the den when we arrived. I parked the bike and Dwayne climbed off, breathless and shivering.

"You cold?"

"A little." He pulled his tatty denim jacket around himself. Underneath was a faded T-shirt with a band logo on it.

"Let's get inside." I headed down the steps, following the line of lanterns into the remains of the old building wedged in the cavern. Dwayne followed, each soft step of his sneakers loud in my ears.

Marko and Star, sitting closer together than when we left, both looked up.

"This is Dwayne," I introduced. "Marko and Star."

"Hey," Marko said. "Welcome."

"Hello." Star smiled and nodded.

"Hey." Dwayne ventured a smile and glanced around, taking in the extraordinary interior of our home.

Paul sprawled on another couch, reading a comic he'd no doubt stolen from the store. "Look. Vamps." He held up the comic, entitled _Vampires Everywhere_, and laughed. I shot him a glare. "Always loved horror comics," he added. "Werewolf ones are fun too."

"Come and sit down." I led Dwayne to a third seating area and swept aside a couple of newspapers we'd left there.

"This is a really cool place. You all live here?" Dwayne continued to gaze about him until he caught my eye and stared at me instead.

"Yeah, we've been here a while." I met his gaze. Deep brown eyes held mine, dark lashes flicking over them as he blinked occasionally. I stared back, unblinking, steeling myself not to let my pale blue eyes warm and turn gold. I was still half hard and the last thing I wanted to do was freak him out when he'd only just arrived.

"Is there somewhere I can, um, freshen up? Sleeping rough isn't great for keeping clean." He laughed in an embarrassed way.

"There is if you don't mind getting colder for a few minutes." I got up again and began to gather items from the area where I kept my belongings—leather pants, a shirt, jacket, socks and boots, and a thick blanket. I snatched up a bottle of hair and body wash as I led him down the broken old passage between the cliffs towards the sea.

"I'm not so sure washing in cold salt water will be that great," he said doubtfully.

"Fresh water up there. Our own shower." I pointed at the wide crack up to the left where water came through at a fast trickle. "It's enough for a decent wash. Look, here's some clean clothes and you can use the blanket to dry off."

"Are you sure this is okay?"

"It's fine. I won't watch." I sat down on a rock as far from the makeshift shower as I could, and stared out at the dark sea, my ears twitching as I listened to every move he made. Soft sounds as he removed jacket and sneakers, the zipper on his fly sliding down, fabric brushing against skin, rapid breaths as his body met the cold air. God, I wanted to look so badly. I could _smell_ him. His sweat and his blood, calling to me. My fangs grew again and I clamped my lips together to keep them hidden. My dick swelled again in my leather pants and my mind was flooded with fantasies.

Dwayne washed himself rapidly under the cold water and I imagined going to give him a hand, seducing him by washing his hair and when the water rinsed away the soap, ducking to press my fangs into his cool wet skin, breaking the through so gently that only the tiniest beads of blood broke free. I risked a glance. He had his back to me, arms raised as he rinsed his hair out. I'd never stared at a naked male before, but I couldn't help myself. The bumps of his spine stood out against tight skin, unsoftened by flesh. His rib-cage was just as visible and when he turned sideways, the V beneath his hips jutted sharply. Shit, he was half-starved, but it didn't stop me wanting to drink every last drop I could without draining and killing him. Fucking hell.

I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to turn away. He'd think I was some perv wanting to fuck him for letting him have food and shelter. If he knew the reality, he'd be horrified. I tried to tune out the sounds of him moving around and instead, concentrated on the white-crested waves breaking on the rocks a few yards away. It worked.

"I'm done. Thanks."

I turned again and found Dwayne standing behind me, wearing my clothes, the damp blanket draped over his arm, wet hair framing his face.

"That's good. We're the same size."

"I'll, um, clean my stuff in the morning and give you yours back."

"No need. Keep them. They look good on you." I smiled and he grinned back.

"You don't have to give me stuff."

"I have plenty."

"Well, in that case—" Dwayne gathered up his rags and tossed them into the sea, where they rapidly disappeared. "They're no good to anyone."

I laughed. "Let's go inside. You must be freezing."

We all relaxed for a while, chatting as a group until dawn approached. Then Paul quickly disappeared, followed by Marko after giving Star's hand a gentle squeeze. She rose and made her way to the bed she slept in, hidden behind drapes of fabric.

"Where are they going?" Dwayne asked.

"To get some sleep. I need to do the same."

"Yeah, me too. Are you nocturnal?"

"Pretty much. Life is more fun at night. I'll show you where you can sleep." On the opposite side of the vast space to where Star slept, a separate section hidden behind curtains held a large bed with blankets, unused since the last woman I'd brought here before Star. "Here you go."

He glanced at the bed doubtfully. "Where are you gonna be sleeping?"

I grinned. "I told you, you're not here for that. Sleep well." I left him and made my way down the passage Paul and Marko had gone down, to find my perch for the night. I removed my boots, jumped up, and hung upside down beside Paul.

"That's it?" He rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean, 'that's it'?"

"You didn't give him a drink?"

"Not yet."

"Are you going to?"

An image of Dwayne washing himself filled my mind and I smiled. "Yes, I am."

"What's this? You're gonna try it with a guy?" Marko asked.

"Not like _that._" I scowled. I was beginning to revise that idea. Maybe I could. If his blood tasted as good as it smelled, maybe I could give him something.

Marko chuckled. "Bullshit. I can smell how horny you are."

"Fuck you." I laughed none the less.

"No, thanks." Marko fell silent and soon, we all slept.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke first, eyes snapping open and the first pangs of hunger making my fangs grow and my eyes burn yellow. I couldn't let Dwayne see me yet, and I released myself from the perch, flew down the passage and out over the sea. The sun had slipped below the horizon, leaving a red glow in its wake, and I turned towards the boardwalk, hoping to find prey quickly and get back.

I flew faster, high enough not to be spotted in the darkness, until I saw that damned cop who'd thrown us off the boardwalk a couple of times before. He was heading for his car away from the main area of activity. In seconds, I'd dropped onto him, silenced his screams with a hand over his mouth, and torn into his neck. I fed greedily but cleanly, then helped myself to his wallet before I picked up his body, took off, and dropped him in the sea. The tide was heading out and he'd be gone in minutes. Within half an hour of leaving, I was back at the cavern, gliding down the passage. Marko had just woken and jumped from his perch, but Paul's eyes were still closed, arms crossed over his chest.

"Where've you been?" Marko asked. "Feeding without us?"

"Dwayne doesn't know anything about us yet. I didn't want him to see me the way I woke up."

"Right. What are you gonna do with him?"

"Go with the flow," I said casually, unlike me. "Don't give anything away, will you?"

"It's your business." Marko reached up and tapped Paul. "Wake up, man. Feeding time."

Paul sprang down from his perch, yellow-eyed and snarling. "I'm fucking starving."

"Let's go." Marko took off and headed down the passage, Paul flapping quickly behind him. They were gone.

I put on my boots and made my way into the main cavern. Star was up, eating some crackers, and she gave me a wary glance.

"Don't look at me like that," I said, irritated. "I don't bite."

"Of course you don't, David."

"Look, I'm not gonna come near you again, all right? You like Marko?"

"Yes, I do. He's more of a gentleman."

"Good. Then you don't have anything to worry about. You're off the hook with me."

"Okay." She relaxed a little. "What about Dwayne? Are you going to change him?"

"We'll see." I crossed the cavern and ducked under the curtains separating the other sleeping area from the main living space. He was still asleep, buried in a pile of blankets. I noticed boots, jacket, socks, and leather pants at the side of the bed. Which meant he was sleeping in only the T-shirt. I hadn't given him any underwear and as far as I knew, he hadn't kept any of his own clothes other than what might have been in his bag. I gulped, unsure what I wanted, except for one thing.

I took a deep breath in through my nostrils, and my mouth watered. His blood pulsed slowly through his veins, sweet and warm, and something else caught my attention. He was hard. I could smell it, the concentration of blood and the musky scent. I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his face, relaxed in sleep, lips slightly parted, long dark lashes resting on his cheeks. I wanted to taste him so badly it hurt, and I had to fight to keep my fangs retracted.

Cautiously, I reached out and brushed his hair away from his face. His lashes fluttered, and slowly he opened his eyes.

"Sleep well?"

"Yeah, actually. Best night's sleep in a while." He smiled and pushed himself upright. Sitting, he was inches away from me.

I swallowed the saliva rising in my throat and clenched my fists to stop myself touching him. I'd never had such a reaction to anyone before—not before I was changed, or since. I could smell his arousal, and my sensitive ears picked up the increase in his heartrate.

"What do you want from me, David?"

"Nothing you don't want to give," I heard myself say.

"You don't like men."

"Maybe I could be persuaded." I swallowed again, not quite believing I was flirting with him. I wanted to taste his blood, turn him into what I was, not fuck him. But I didn't seem to be able to separate the two as well as I'd hoped. Perhaps it was only that I'd never considered it, rather than that I'd never wanted it.

Dwayne smiled. "Well, you're gonna have to make the move. I don't want a fist in my face."

I leaned in before I could think about it, and rather than aim for his mouth, I ducked to the side and pressed my lips to the pulse beneath his ear. Forcing my fangs back, I caressed his warm skin with lips and tongue, tasting the faint tang of salt from his sweat. Dwayne groaned, the sound and the taste of him making my dick stiffen. I bit gently, using only my teeth, and he whimpered. He didn't touch me, but he pushed the bed covers away, exposing his lower body. I drew back and glanced down at his erection, jutting from neatly trimmed black hair. Homeless, and yet he kept himself pruned. I stared as a bead of pre-come emerged and dripped from his tip. I imagined myself tasting it, and pushed the thought away. What the hell?

Instead, I returned to his throat, licking and biting my way down one side to his collarbone and around to the other side, then back up to his ear. My left hand moved as if without my knowledge, wrapping around his dick. I couldn't stop myself.

"Oh, fuck," he gasped. He jerked in my hand and when I rubbed my thumb over the tip, I felt wetness. I'd barely touched him and he was close. His pulse raced, blood pumping rapidly around his body, breaths coming just as fast. He lifted his hands and gripped my shoulders, holding on tight as I stroked him, slow and firm, getting my own pleasure from the taste of his neck. One of my fangs caught his skin, breaking it just enough to let out a tiny bead of blood like I'd imagined when he was showering. The taste made my whole body tingle, and my dick jumped in my pants, leaking its own wetness into my underwear.

Dwayne whimpered his pleasure, jerking his hips to push himself harder into my fist. I obliged him, picking up speed to push him over the edge as I sucked gently on his skin to bring forth another tiny droplet of heaven. He came hard, spilling over my knuckles, and I shot my load into my pants. I released him quickly and wiped my hand on the sheet, keeping my eyes closed a few seconds to let the yellow fade. When I opened them, Dwayne sat there, chest heaving as his dick softened, staring at me in wonder.

"For someone who's not into men, you sure know what you're doing."

I grinned. "I got my own equipment, don't I?"

"Why, though? I mean, what do you want with me?"

"Just wanted to give you something I thought you might need." I brushed his hair away from his neck and rubbed my thumb over the spot I'd bitten. There was no sign of a wound, it had been so tiny.

"Do you want me to, um, return the favour?"

"No." I took my hand away. "Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Get dressed. We'll go and get something to eat." I left him alone and went to change my pants. Five minutes later, we were outside by my bike.

"You know how to ride?" I asked.

"No."

"Want to learn?"

Dwayne grinned. "Seriously? You'd let me ride your bike?"

"You can try. Get on." I stood in front of the bike and placed my hands on the bars to arrest any lurches forward that might pitch him onto the sand. "Start the engine. Turn the key and push that button on the right side."

He did so and the engine roared to life.

"Pull the clutch in." I indicated the lever. "Keep your hand on the brake." Another lever. "Kick the gear lever down into first." I pointed with the toe of my boot. "Give it some gas."

Dwayne twisted the throttle and the engine screamed.

"Not so much. Forty percent of that."

He laughed nervously and did as I asked.

"Let the clutch out, slow and steady."

"I might run you over."

"You won't."

The bike jumped forward suddenly and the engine died. I gripped the bars tighter, holding it upright.

"Sorry." Dwayne shook his head.

"It's okay. You need to let the clutch out slower, don't dump it. Try again."

On his second attempt, the bike moved forward smoothly and I stepped out of the way, leaving him to ride up the beach for a couple of hundred yards, then stop and wait for me to catch up.

"Again," I encouraged.

After three more tries, he was up to third gear and riding like a pro.

"Think you can handle some extra weight?" I climbed onto the pillion and wrapped my arms around him. "Just remember, you need to give it more gas to move off, and you'll be more unstable at slow speeds."

"What if I crash?"

"You won't. I got you."

"Okay."

We rode up the beach to the boardwalk without incident and parked near the comic book store.

"That was great," I said, when Dwayne handed me the keys.

He beamed. "I always wanted to ride a bike."

"We'll have to see about getting one for you."

"Oh, there's no way." His face fell. "I have nothing, you know that."

"We're a team, all of us. Me, Marko, Paul, and you. You are staying, right?"

He paused, then nodded. "Yes, I'm staying."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" He took a step closer, just close enough that anyone watching might get the wrong—or the right—idea.

"Okay. Just checking." I edged away as an older couple walked passed, eyeing us with disgust. "Then we'll get you a bike. Come on, let's eat. What do you want?"

"Anything."

"Noodles?" I indicated the Chinese food stall where Marko often collected food and brought back to our home.

"Sure."

I ordered two cartons of noodles and two of spiced chicken, picked up a couple of plastic forks, and led him to the edge of the boardwalk where we could sit and eat.

"I feel guilty with you buying me stuff all the time." Dwayne sighed.

"It was two bucks. Come on, don't worry about it."

"Where do you get your money from? You don't seem to work."

"We, uh, have inheritances."

"Don't any of you have family?"

"No. We were all like you when we found each other. Alone." I forked up some noodles and stuffed them into my mouth. We were able to stomach real food every couple of days, which came in handy for showing humans we were "normal."

Dwayne ate, then got to his feet, took my empty food cartons, and dumped everything in the trash. I stayed where I was, waiting for him to sit down again. We stayed there for a while, chatting and listening to the distant sounds of the outdoor concert the other side of the amusements, until Dwayne began to shiver. Then we returned to the bike and I drove us home.


	4. Chapter 4

Paul, Marko, and Star were all gone when we returned and I guessed the boys must have fed, then returned to take Star out for some food. She liked rock music so Marko might have taken her to see the band.

"Looks like we got the place to ourselves," I said needlessly.

"Yeah." Dwayne wrapped his arms around himself, shivering.

"Cold?"

"I'll warm up now we're in here."

I sat on the couch and slid my hand down the side of the cushion to check the bottle was there. I was going to have to do something about that and soon. "Come here." I patted the cushion next to me and he sat down. I snaked an arm around him and pulled him closer to my side. My flesh was still warm from the cop's blood, and I could feel how cold Dwayne was. He pressed against me, his face in my neck. I breathed in slow through my nostrils, smelling his blood, and my pants tightened.

"You keep surprising me." His breath brushed my skin, and I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth.

"How so?"

"You don't like guys? And yet you jerked me off earlier and now—" He made an obvious display of glancing down at my lap.

"Yeah, okay, you got me. There's a first time for everything, right?" I chuckled. "Is it what you want?"

"I think so."

"Not good enough. If you're not sure, nothing happens." I reached for the bottle and pulled it out. "How about a drink?"

"Sure."

I held the bottle between my knees and pulled the cork out, then lifted it to my lips and drank. Drinking my own blood was weird but necessary sometimes. He probably wouldn't try it if I didn't first. They were usually wary of the strange jewelled bottle and the coppery scent of the liquid inside. I took another gulp, then passed it to him.

"What is it? Wine?"

"Uh huh."

Dwayne lifted the bottle and chugged some of the contents. I held my breath as he swallowed and gave me the bottle back. I recorked it and put it back in its place. His eyes rolled back in his head and he started to pant.

"What the fuck… was that?"

"Strong, huh? It's okay. You're okay."

"I feel… weird." His heartrate accelerated and he trembled. "David!"

"Sshh. It's okay. Breathe." I had to do something to quell the panic. This often happened with the first taste. I covered his mouth with mine and thrust in with my tongue. His little freak-out lessened in his shock. Rather than respond to the kiss, he jerked back and met my eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Dwayne, take it easy."

"I'm fine. But you say one thing and do another." His gaze slid away from mine and he shook himself, then dropped his head into his hands. "What the fuck is wrong with me? I feel like I'm having a heart attack."

"Have you ever had a heart attack?"

"No."

"Well, then. You can't know what it's like. Look at me." I pulled his hands away from his face and made him face me again. I wasn't going to be able to fool him that easily, so all I could do was distract him with a little honesty. "I told you I'm not into guys, and I meant it in as much as I've never tried it or really thought about it. I didn't expect to like you like that, but I guess I kind of do."

"No. Really?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I've been through—I've been out with a number of women in the last couple of years and none of them did anything for me. I guess I was thinking about being with someone stronger, more of a match for me. Maybe that's you, if you want it to be."

"I could go along with that." He smiled, but it quickly faded and his eyes narrowed. "Did you drug me? What was in that bottle?"

Fuck. He wasn't distracted, but at least he was calm. I released him and leaned away a little. "I didn't drug you. It's just strong shit, that's all. I won't hurt you."

"Okay." He shuddered and ran his tongue along his lower lip. "I can still taste it. Like metal."

"It'll fade. Just don't have any more. Here." I jumped up and grabbed a bottle of cola from a nearby shelf. "Have this."

"Thanks." Much to my relief, he settled down and drank the cola. I'd seen much worse. I probably shouldn't have let him drink when no one else was around. It had been fine with some of the women, but Dwayne was much stronger. The last thing I wanted was for him to flip out and get in a fight with me. But mercifully it hadn't happened.

He put the empty cola bottle down. "So, what happens now?" He met my gaze, almost like a challenge.

"I guess we take it one step at a time."

Dwayne grinned. "Well, step one was you telling me you weren't into guys. Shortly followed by step two where you jerked me off and nibbled on my neck. And step three… well, it would have been a hell of a kiss if I hadn't just had a gutful of whatever was in that bottle. So why don't we try that one again?" Without giving me the chance to respond, he turned towards me, pushed me back against the couch cushions, and pressed his lips to mine.

Stunned, I could do nothing other than kiss him back, with slightly less fervour than that with which he was kissing me. Unlike all the women I'd kissed, he was firm and rough and determined, crushing my lips against my teeth and fighting to thrust in with his tongue. I gave into it, sliding my tongue over his, but allowing him to lead. I lifted my hands and plunged them into his hair, gripping tight as my taste buds and nostrils were assailed by the lingering blood and cola in his mouth, and the smell of his blood racing through his veins, pooling in his groin, and thundering through his heart.

Eventually, he broke the kiss to breathe, giving me the chance to take over the lead. I pulled myself up, pressed him down against the cushions, and crouched over him. I kept my eyes closed to hide the colour change, and leaned down to let the tips of my fangs graze the skin beneath his ear. He arched his neck and slid his arms around me, gasping for breath and moaning softly. Twin pinpricks of blood broke through his skin and I sealed my lips around the wounds, sucking firmly enough to coat my tongue, but not enough to tear the skin, or make it obvious what I was doing. The taste exploded on my tongue and I groaned against his neck, lowering myself enough to let him feel my arousal. My dick throbbed, and as I pressed myself against him, he slid his legs apart and pushed his groin up to meet mine.

I bit a little harder, unable to stop myself. I distracted him with one hand between us, fumbling his pants undone, then my own. I pulled my dick out and wrapped my hand around both, the leaking pre-come easing the slide of flesh against flesh.

"Holy shit!" Dwayne gasped.

I thrust against him, driven into ecstasy by his taste, his smell, and for the first time, the feel of male flesh against mine. He came before me, coating my hand and my dick with his fluid. I released him and jerked myself, forcibly retracting my fangs before I did too much damage, and gently licking the small wounds as I shot my load onto his softening dick. When I was done, I pulled myself up and sat on my heels while I tucked myself away.

"Fucking hell, get me some fucking bleach for my eyeballs!" Paul made vomiting noises from the entrance to the passage. If I still had the ability to blush, my face would have been the colour of Dwayne's blood, a small smear of which was visible on his neck.

"Fuck off, Paul." Shrugging off his disgust, I fastened my pants. Dwayne quickly shoved his dick into his leather pants and fastened them. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

He grinned and sat up. "I don't care. He's obviously just jealous."

"Jealous, fuck!" Paul spat on the floor. "David, you know I don't give a shit what you do, but I really don't want to come home and see you fucking a guy."

"We weren't fucking." I grinned wickedly.

"Well, whatever the hell you were doing with your dicks out. Jesus Christ. Anyway, since when were you gay?"

"I never said I wasn't. Only that I hadn't tried." I glanced at Dwayne again. His smiled had vanished and he looked serious and thoughtful. "You okay?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go and find some privacy. Lay down for a while." I got up and made my way across the cavern to the place Dwayne had slept the night before. "They won't come over here."


	5. Chapter 5

I remembered what it had been like in the aftermath of orgasm when I'd been human, as I watched Dwayne languishing under the bed covers, naked and drowsy. He'd undressed, unconcerned about whether I cared or not, and dumped his clothes beside the bed. I kept my pants and shirt on and lay on top of the quilt, my head propped up on one hand.

Perhaps this really was what I wanted. He was strong—he'd easily be as strong as me if he'd change fully. He wouldn't let me dominate him all the time, at least not in situations such as this. He knew what he wanted and how to get it, and that alone was enough to make my fangs lengthen along with my dick. I waited until I could smile without revealing what I was before I woke him.

"Hey." I stroked his cheek with my thumb. "You with me?"

His eyelids lifted slowly. "How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours."

"What time is it?"

"I don't know. Around the middle of the day." I glanced behind me at the pool of light coming from the crack in the ceiling. "I have to talk to you about something." Better now than later, when he trusted me and would feel betrayed.

"It was a mistake. You regret it." He lifted an eyebrow and sighed.

"What? No! No, I don't regret it. Any of it."

"Then why do you still have your clothes on?"

"No reason, I guess. I was watching you sleep."

"I don't think you're sure of what you want."

"I am sure. You want proof? Fine. Then we'll talk." I hauled myself up and stripped off my shirt and pants, then after a moment's hesitation, my underwear. I pulled back the bed covers and slid under them, resuming my position lying on my side with my head propped up. "Is that better?"

"Yeah, that's better." He grinned. "You've already seen me naked. More than once. I know you were watching when I showered."

"For a few seconds. And you make it sound like this has happened a lot."

"It just feels like I've been here ages."

"I hope you will be."

"I hope so, too." He rested one hand on my chest and stroked the light blond hair there. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Do you know what I am?"

His smile lessened. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not what you think." I covered his hand with mine and held it in place over my heart. "Do you feel my heartbeat?"

He frowned, concentrating. "I feel… something. A faint pulse. It's—"

"That's your pulse. I don't have one."

"What? But—" He met my eyes, startled and disbelieving. "What are you talking about?"

"Promise you won't freak out."

"I'm already starting to."

"Don't. You're safe. But I'm not what you think I am, and you're different to what you thought you were. That stuff in the bottle I gave you? It wasn't wine. It was blood. Mine."

"What the fuck?" He jerked away from me. "You keep your blood in a bottle and make people drink it? That's just… _why_?"

"Have you heard the rumours about this town? Legends?"

"Yes."

"And you've seen that stupid comic Paul was reading?"

"What are you saying? You're a vampire?" Dwayne snorted and sat up. "This is bullshit, David. Why are you doing this? If you changed your mind about being with me, you can just say and I'll leave."

I sat up too and caught his hand. "I don't want you to leave. I want you, with me. A companion. Lover. Whatever you want. Me, Paul, and Marko are all the same. Star's half. Like you."

"Half?"

"Half vampire. If you drink the blood of a vampire, you become half a vampire."

"And how do you become a full one, if there is such a thing?" His lip curled. I was losing him. Damn it.

"You have to make a kill."

"Are you crazy?" He yanked his hand out of mine and drew away more. I expected him to leap out of the bed and leave, and I moved quickly, closing the gap between us faster than he could blink, and gripping his arms, holding him still.

"Don't, okay? Don't run away. I told you I wouldn't hurt you and I meant it. But if you leave, it will hurt. You'll need blood."

"I have no intention of killing anyone, David. You're insane if you think that." He swallowed. I could smell his fear, oozing from every pore like sweat. "Are you telling me you've killed people?"

"Yes. I have to, to survive."

"I don't want this. Any of it." He tugged against my hold and after a moment, realised I was stronger and gave up.

"I didn't at first. I didn't have a choice, though. Max, my maker, forced it on me."

"Like you did me," he said bitterly.

"No. It was different. He bit me, drained me almost to the point of death, then brought a girl to me, made her bleed and forced me to feed. I was traumatised, wouldn't feed properly for months. I was in constant pain, fighting what I was. Eventually, I got over it."

"But isn't that what you're doing to me?" His eyes widened as he realised something. "You bit me. When we were on the couch."

"That wasn't what did it. You were already turning from what you drank. I bit because I could smell your blood and it turned me on. That's what we are."

"I don't know what to say. I don't want this. I wanted to be with you, but not like this. What will happen to me?"

"It's up to you. I don't want you to leave. I want you to become like me, but I won't force you to. I can feed you myself until you decide. If I don't, you'll hurt." I loosened my hold on him.

"I hurt now." He shrugged me off. "Everything hurts. You fucking hurt me, doing this. I thought you wanted me. Just wanted _me_. How stupid am I? You're straight!"

"Am I? A few hours ago I came harder than I ever have in my life. You electrify me. Yes, your blood fires me up, but it's never been like this with anyone I've ever met. I do want you."

"Well, I have to think about it. I don't want to be like this, and yet you just told me I don't have any choice. You said Max forced this life on you, but even though you didn't do it the same way, you still forced it on me." He slid out of the bed and began to get dressed. "I need to get out of here."

"You'll need these." Sadly, I found my jacket and pulled a pair of shades out of the pocket.

"What for? It's October."

"The sun will hurt your eyes."

He took the glasses from me and finished dressing.

"Dwayne, don't go. You're gonna get weak."

"I'm fine." He shoved his feet into the boots I'd given him, and walked out.

"Fuck." Upset and angry, I got up and pulled my clothes back on. Then I lay down and pulled a blanket over my head. I couldn't go after him. I'd burn. All I could do was wait until darkness fell again and go looking for him. He'd be weakening by then, and hurting. It didn't take long in one so newly turned.

Hours later, I rose before any of the others, took my bike, and rode to the boardwalk. I parked in my usual spot and went hunting. Finding Dwayne while I was hungry wouldn't be wise. I wouldn't be able to help him the way I wanted to.

Eventually, I found a lone walker on the beach. I drained him to the point of death, taking every last drop until his heart stopped. Then I headed for the rollercoaster, guessing Dwayne would have gone back to the place I found him. Sure enough, he was there, shivering miserably.

"What are you doing here, David?"

"Looking for you." I sat down beside him. "How do you feel?"

"Sick. Itchy. My chest hurts. But you know that, don't you?"

"I had an idea."

"I don't want to be a killer."

"I know."

"But the last couple of days have been amazing. I didn't want that to end."

"It doesn't have to. Come back with me."

"I can't be what you want."

"Give it some time. At least come back and let me make you feel better."

"A hotdog won't work this time, huh?" He laughed sadly.

"You can still eat. You saw me eat that Chinese food. We can digest it, but it's not enough." I took his hand and caressed the base of his thumb, feeling the slow pulse. "You feel weak?"

"Yes."

"Let's go." I got to my feet and pulled him up. He followed me slowly back to the bike, walking a little like a drunk, knees wobbly, hands shaking. "You're gonna be okay."

"Am I?" He climbed onto the back of the bike without protest and held on tight.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Not for much longer, I promise. Hold on."

He leaned against my back as I started the bike, and I raced home. When Dwayne climbed off, he turned away from me and dropped to his knees, coughing and retching on the sand. I crouched beside him and held his hair away from his face. He heaved, but nothing came up other than a little fluid. When he was done, he turned his head away, apparently in an attempt to hide the shine of tears in his eyes.

"Hey. It's okay." I let go of his hair and took his hand instead. I'd never cared how the others felt, or wanted to reassure them. This wasn't like me, but every part of me longed to make it better for him. I rubbed my thumb over his knuckles. "I'll take care of you."

"I can't leave, can I?" he choked. "I'm just gonna feel like this."

"Come inside. We'll talk when you feel better." I got to my feet and helped him up, then wrapped my arm tight around him as we made our way slowly down the steps. The others looked up as we descended, none of them ready to go out yet.

"What's going on?" Marko asked.

"Leave it. I'll talk to you later." I steered Dwayne away from them, behind the drapes hiding what had become his bed.

He sat down quickly. "What now? Do I have to drink from that bottle again?"

"No." I sat beside him. "Can you trust me?"

"Hah."

"Try. Please."

He nodded slowly.

I shrugged off my jacket and lay down on my back. "Come here."

He lay down on his side and I slid my arm around him. Lifting my other hand, I pressed my thumbnail into my skin beneath my ear until blood welled in the small wound. Dwayne's nostrils flared and his eyes changed colour. His lips parted and the tips of brand new fangs emerged. I smiled. He would be okay, it just might take a little time.

I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, idly stroking the bulge in my pants as his lips sealed around the wound in my neck and began to draw a mixture of my blood and my last victim's from my veins.


	6. Chapter 6

Dwayne swallowed cautiously, shuddering while at the same time his pulse quickened, and he hummed in pleasure. I stroked my hand over his hair and tipped my head back more. He took another mouthful, and another, before he bit. Then he bit hard. His fangs punctured my neck either side of the small wound I'd made with my thumbnail and he dug his fingers into my shoulder, pinning me to the mattress. I could have got free, but I lay still, letting him take what he wanted.

The sharp sting of Dwayne's bite and the heat around the wound as he drew my blood to the surface exhilarated me. My blood sang in my veins, and my dick hardened, every inch of my flesh tingling. I squirmed with pleasure, right up until the point I realised Dwayne was getting stronger and in doing so, was weakening me. I held still for a few more seconds, then gripped the back of his neck hard, and grasped his wrist with the other hand.

"Stop now."

He didn't.

"Dwayne." His eyes, golden yellow, flicked up to meet mine. "Stop. Now. You're draining me." I gulped, my mouth dry.

He froze, fangs biting deeper for an instant before his eyes widened in horror and he released me. "Fuck, I'm sorry." He sat up. "Are you okay? David? Fuck, you're bleeding!" He clamped his hand over the wound on my neck.

"It'll stop. It's fine. I'm fine." I pushed his hand off. My blood smeared across his palm and he licked his lips at the sight of it, then slowly lifted his hand to his mouth, as if he was trying not to and finding himself helpless. He licked his hand, then his lips again.

I felt the wound knit together and I sat up, my head spinning. It was a long time since I'd weakened like this. I would have to be careful if Dwayne wouldn't turn fully and I had to feed him often. He was stronger even than I'd anticipated.

"What can I do?" He stared at me, wide-eyed, his irises deep brown again and his fangs retracted.

"Don't worry. I'm okay. Just go and fetch that bottle. You know where it is."

"Shit. I'm sorry." Dwayne ducked around the curtain and went to find the bottle.

"What are you doing?" I heard Paul ask. "Where's David?"

"In bed."

"What do you want with that?"

"A drink?" Dwayne snorted. "I'm not quite ready to feed off a human, unlike you blood-suckers."

Paul laughed. "If you ask David nicely, he might let you bite him."

"We'll see, won't we?" Dwayne appeared again, carrying the bottle.

"You handled that well," I said softly.

"I thought they might kill me if I told them the truth." He passed me the bottle. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"I know. Don't worry about it." I uncorked the bottle and gulped several mouthfuls of my own blood. "I'll feed again later. I'm fine, honestly." I shoved the cork back into the bottle and sat up. "So, let's talk."

"Heading out!" Marko shouted from the other side of the curtain, and several pairs of feet made their way up the steps—Marko, Paul, and Star. We were alone.

"I can't do that to you again," Dwayne said. "What if I killed you?"

"You couldn't. But if you took a lot more, you could weaken me to the point of me not being able to move. I underestimated you."

"But you fed others, right?"

"You've seen Star. The others were her size, more or less."

"Right." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I can't do this to you, but I can't kill an innocent person either. I don't know how I can live like this."

"I have an idea." Something occurred to me that might help him. "But first, I want to show you some of the positives about this. Let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." I grasped his hand and led him out of the cavern and up the steps. I had sufficient strength to do what I planned, but I would have to feed again soon. Perhaps I could act on my idea and show him it wasn't all bad or needn't be.

"Are we going on the bike?" Dwayne moved towards my bike where it stood by itself, Paul and Marko having taken off on theirs.

"Yes, do you want to drive?"

"Sure!" He climbed on. I passed him the key and moments later we were flying across the sand towards the boardwalk.

"Park in the usual place," I told him. When we stopped, I hesitated by the comic book store. "Hey, guys."

Edgar and Alan Frog both glowered and walked slowly towards me.

I glanced around to make sure I wouldn't be overheard. "I wouldn't come too close, I'm pretty hungry." I grinned wickedly.

"You're dead meat," Alan hissed, reaching for a weapon.

"Already dead, boys. Didn't you get the memo?" Laughing, I ushered Dwayne away from the store in the direction of the rollercoaster.

"Who are those guys?"

"Vampire killers."

"Bullshit."

"Why? Because vampires don't exist?" I chuckled.

"They're kids. What are they, sixteen?"

"Something like that. They like to think they could get the better of one of us and to be fair, they have all the equipment. Just not the balls. Here we are." I halted close to the place where Dwayne had hung out before I found him.

"What are we doing back here?" He frowned.

"Look up." I pointed at the top of the coaster, lit up with a row of bright bulbs following the shape of the track. "There's a platform up there, underneath that row of lights in a straight line before they dip to the left. Give me your hand."

Dwayne looked around anxiously, ensuring no one was near us which I'd already ensured, then slid his hand into mine.

"Visualise. Rising to that platform, sitting on the edge."

"What?"

"Just do it." I rose from the ground, gripping his hand tight. Impressively, his feet left the ground at the same time and he drifted upwards at my side. The wind whipped his hair around his head, and he began to laugh as the platform came into view.

"This is fucking insane." He landed on the platform with a thump and sat down, legs dangling over the edge.

"Cool though, right?" I sat beside him and squeezed his knee. "Look around you."

Dwayne gazed around, taking in the row of stalls and food stands below us, the lights following the coaster track, the lights on the Ferris wheel, the bright stage display on the other side of the amusements where that night's band performed, the sound carrying through the night to our sensitive ears.

"Okay, yeah, it's cool." He smiled, eyes sparkling. "What else?"

"Well, you can't do this yet, but if you change fully, we can play in the sea, dive down and explore the underwater cave below that place you showered. We don't need to breathe."

Dwayne's smile vanished. "You have no heartbeat. You don't need to breathe. You're cold when you haven't fed in a while. You're telling me I have to die in order to change, aren't you? Those comics call you—us—the undead. Is that what we are? Walking corpses?"

"Well, I don't put it that way, but essentially, yes." I sighed heavily. Things weren't going the way I hoped. "It's another kind of life. An afterlife, if you like. You can never grow old, and you never die once you've become this." I touched my chest.

"But there are vampire killers. So, you must be able to die. How? A stake through the heart?"

"Been watching Boris Karloff?" I grinned wryly. "Yeah, any sharp object thrust into our hearts will do it. Holy water burns, but it won't kill if it's a small amount in a water pistol like what the Frog brothers have. If it was a tub full, then yeah. The sun kills. You're only half, so it just hurts your eyes if you go out in it, and your skin would feel like it had a mild sunburn. If I went out in the daylight, I'd burst into flames. Garlic… that's a myth."

"Shit." Dwayne half-laughed. "I feel like I'm living in a horror movie."

"Yeah, I guess what I've just said makes it seem like there's more bad than good."

"Hm, yeah. I don't know. This kind of makes it better." He placed his hand over mine and moved it from his knee to the top of his thigh.

I smirked, surprised and pleased his mood had lightened. "Now you're giving me ideas. Wait until I get you home."

"So, what now?"

"I have something else to show you, if we can find it. Let's go." I took my hand off him and slipped off the edge of the platform. Seconds later my feet landed gently on the ground. Dwayne appeared beside me almost immediately. "Where are we going now?"

"Let's take a walk."

We walked for an hour. I led him around all the seediest spots in the town, where the gangs and drug dealers hung out, where the homeless gathered in groups, where isolated houses stood in darkness.

"You know how many bad elements there are in this town?" I asked. "It's like Santa Carla attracts all the scum in the state."

"I know. There's a murder or rape or something in the news every week."

I didn't reply that some of the murders or missing persons were due to me, Paul, and Marko. Instead, I indicated a dark corner where a scuffle was underway. A girl cried out, struggling and kicking against her captor. He applied a hard slap to her face and pushed her to the ground, then dropped to his knees and pinned her there.

"Shit, we should help her," Dwayne said.

The man slapped the girl again and pushed her dress up.

"David, he's gonna rape her!"

"No, he's not." I left him and closed the gap between us and them, and loomed behind the crouching man. The struggling, crying girl didn't see what happened. I grabbed the man by the head and soared into the sky, bringing him down with a crash on the concrete the other side of a wall surrounding a yard. The air rushed out of his lungs, leaving him gasping like a fish out of water.

He fought feebly, trying to punch me. I pinned both his hands to the ground above his head and bent low, fangs extended. The only sound he managed to make was a gurgle as I tore into his throat. I fed rapidly until his heart slowed almost to a stop, then sat up. His eyes clouded over as his life ended. I got to my feet and sprang over the wall, landing neatly beside Dwayne. The girl was gone.

"You killed him," Dwayne whispered.

"What would have happened if we hadn't got here?"

"He'd have raped her."

"And then what? Is there anyone around to see?"

"No. He probably would have got away with it. That fucker would have walked away laughing, while her life was in ruins." His anger caused him to spit as he spoke.

"Exactly. Just think about it. If you did that instead of me, would you really be killing an innocent person?"

"Hell no!" His eyes widened. "He deserved everything he got. Is that why you brought me here?"

"Yeah, I was hoping we'd find something. If not that, then a mugging, a stabbing, or something else. I just wanted to show you there is a way for you to live without it being on your conscience, if that's what you need."

"But won't it make me just as bad? I'd still be a killer."

"I'm a killer, Dwayne," I reminded him.

"I know." He stared at me, his face a mixture of confusion and anguish. "But it's different. I can't see you as a murderer. I'm fucking addicted to you."

"Well, it's mutual." I offered a smile, but he didn't return it. "Okay, enough serious shit. You don't have to decide what you want now. Let's get out of here. Let's go home."


	7. Chapter 7

By the time we arrived back at the cavern, dawn was approaching, and the others had already returned. Time seemed to fly more at night than it did during the day, from what I remembered. I parked the bike and took Dwayne in over the sea, a quick dive off the cliff and a loop around to the place where he'd taken his shower. As we headed along the passage on foot, he paused to stare up at Paul and Marko on their perches.

"Seriously? You sleep like bats?"

I laughed. "Usually."

"Are you going to join them?"

"I'd rather sleep with you." I raised an eyebrow.

He smiled and walked on down the passage, saying nothing. I took it for agreement and followed. We passed Star's sleeping place, hearing her breathing softly behind the curtain, already fast asleep. Dwayne continued across to the other side and stepped behind the drapes. By the time I reached him, he already had his clothes off, obviously having used his new-found speed.

"See? Another positive." A few swift moves, and I was naked too. "How frustrating to be human when you're horny as fuck and desperate to get out of your clothes."

Dwayne laughed and threw himself on the bed. "Do you realise it's only a couple of days since you offered me a place to stay and told me you weren't into guys?"

"Yeah, well. I'm into you." I glanced down, surprised none the less, to find my erection jutting out in front of me and for once, I wasn't thinking about the taste of his blood. Instead, I imagined the feel of his dick against mine, how his had felt in my hand. Mine jerked and leaked.

"Jesus, what are you thinking about? Get over here." Dwayne urged me closer and when I shuffled across the mattress on my knees, he pounced suddenly, once again surprising me. I found myself on my back with my dick in his hand, his mouth an inch away from the tip. "Can I?"

"If you can keep your fangs retracted."

He bared his teeth, showing me there was no sign of the sharp points.

"You have more control than me. That much blood concentrated in one place?" I chuckled and showed him my teeth, fangs protruding. "You wouldn't want to put yours in my mouth."

"No, probably not." He stopped talking and swallowed me to the root. I found myself incapable of saying anything else.

I'd had blow jobs before, of course I had, and lots of them. But nothing compared to what Dwayne was doing to me. Women were so gentle about it, like they thought you'd break. They didn't squeeze or suck anywhere near hard enough, and they'd only take a couple of inches, then moan about gagging. Dwayne knew what he liked, and did, I assumed, what he enjoyed. His cheeks hollowed as he sucked, his tongue curling around my tip and dipping into the slit. His hands were everywhere all at once—squeezing and tugging on my balls, stroking the base of dick, teasing the insides of my thighs.

I clenched my fists in the blanket beneath me, my body squirming and jerking involuntarily as I rocketed towards orgasm. It was a mercy vampires literally slept like the dead, or Paul, Marko, and Star would have had to listen to their own personal porn show. I yelled as I came down Dwayne's throat, the veins popping in my arms and my neck. My fangs tore through my own lip and I tasted blood.

Dwayne released me, moved to my side, and swiped his tongue gently along my torn lip. One taste, and he drew back, perfectly in control.

"You're amazing," I panted. I slid my arms around him and pulled his body against mine, bringing our lips together again. We kissed, slow and deep. I tasted myself, salt and musk on his tongue along with the blood from my lip. I ran my hands down his back to his arse and squeezed the firm muscles there as he rubbed himself against my thigh. He was still too thin, but he felt a little less bony than when I'd met him.

He broke the kiss and pressed his face in my neck, moaning his frustration. His dick leaked onto my leg and I pushed him off me onto his side. I wrapped my hand around his erection and pumped it slowly, easing the way with the fluid oozing from his tip.

"Fuck, yes. Almost there," he whispered. He slid a thigh across me again, rolling his hips as I tugged on him harder. "Will you…?"

"Will I what?"

"Um, put your finger in me. Please." His dick throbbed in my hand.

"Fuck." I licked my lips, the taste of him and me still lingering on my tongue, sending my senses into overdrive. I brought my free hand up to my mouth and sucked on my fingers, wetting them. Then I reached down, slowly exploring the crack of his arse until I found the tight puckered spot.

"_Please_," Dwayne whined.

I pressed in with one finger, gasping at the astonishing tight heat. It was nothing like fingering a girl. _Nothing._ I withdrew and went back in with two fingers, finding slight resistance. I returned my fingers to my mouth and added more saliva, then tried again. I began thrusting gently back and forth in time with my other hand jerking him. In barely any time at all, warm splashes of fluid shot across my thigh and into my hand. His fangs punctured the skin beneath my collarbone, smothering his cries. Then he lifted his head and drew back.

"Sorry. I bit you again."

I laughed, breathless and almost dizzy from what had happened between us. I pulled my fingers out of him and wrapped both arms tightly around him. "Someday soon I'm gonna fuck you for real."

"I hope so." He pressed his lips against my ear. "Help me be what you want."

"Are you sure?" I froze, waiting for him to confirm it. Could it be I had finally found the right one? Even just a few hours ago he'd been filled with doubt and fear, resentment even.

"Yeah. I don't want to feel like I felt earlier, ever again. And I don't want to never feel like this again, either."

I didn't say anything for a long moment. I couldn't think of anything to say right then, without choking on it. I was overwhelmed with feelings I'd never felt; things I'd heard about from others and scoffed at, or thought were weak. How wrong I'd been. This didn't make me weak. Having him wanting me the same way I wanted him made me stronger than I'd ever been.

"You're mine," I said eventually. "Always."

"Hm." It was all he managed before his body became a dead weight as he sank into the sleep of the half dead. I closed my eyes and slept too, wrapped around him.

When I stirred, it barely seemed as if five minutes had passed. I hadn't moved an inch in sleep, and nor had Dwayne. He lay with his face in my neck, one leg draped over me, his hand over my dead heart while I held him tight in both arms.

"You alive in there?" Paul asked from the other side of the drapes.

"Fuck off," I muttered.

"It's dusk. We're all going hunting."

"All?" I frowned, puzzled.

"Me, Marko, and Star. Who do you think?"

"Star?" I still couldn't quite grasp what he was telling me.

"Yeah, she's gotten so fond of Marko, she's gonna give it a try. What about your boy?"

"Same, I think." I smiled and stroked my hand down Dwayne's back. He stirred and mumbled.

"You coming with us then?" Paul continued.

"Go away. We'll catch up."

"Fair enough." The three of them left and I lay still. Five more minutes wouldn't hurt.

"Have they gone?" Dwayne stirred again and propped himself up so he could meet my eyes.

"Yeah. Did you mean what you said last night?"

"Did you?" he countered, teasing.

"About what?"

"Fucking me someday soon." His grin widened.

"Oh yes. I meant it."

"So did I. I'm not sure if I can tonight, but I'll try."

"Okay. Let's go." Eager, I sprang up and pulled on my clothes. Dwayne followed more slowly, quiet and lost in thought. I didn't talk to him as we made our way up the steps and got on the bike, and we rode to the boardwalk in silence.

It was a quiet night, and we strolled along, grabbed a couple of burgers and ate them as we wandered around. Eventually, we came upon the others and joined them as they headed down to the beach. We moved silently, ears straining for the sounds of potential victims. Dwayne's heart thundered in his chest, a mixture of excitement and fear as we looked for his first kill. I grasped his hand and held it tight, just as Marko held Star's. Paul rolled his eyes but said nothing.

An hour passed, then another. We were all growing impatient, and hungry in the case of Paul, Marko, and me. Then eventually, we came upon them—a small motorcycle gang with a death wish.

Bikes waited close to a bonfire, and two guys cooked sausages on sticks and smoked joints. A couple of others splashed around in the sea, naked except for their underwear. We all halted in the shadows, listening to the conversation around the fire which seemed to be plans to rob the comic book store and the video store. The gang had knives and intended to use them if they got any resistance. The Frog brothers wouldn't be able to defend themselves with holy water this time.

"What do you think?" I whispered to Dwayne.

"You mean, attack these guys and save the vampire killers?" He huffed out a laugh.

"Why not? I kind of like the little Frogs. At least I like teasing them. They're pretty harmless. Anyway, Paul likes the store, don't you Paul?"

"Fuck off," he said much too loudly.

"Hey, did you hear something?" one of the guys by the fire asked his companion.

"Yeah, there's someone there." The pair stood up and one of them called out to the others in the water. "Hey, guys! We got company!"

"Shit," Dwayne muttered. I squeezed his hand, then let go.

"Marko, stay with Star," I instructed.

"Planning on it." Marko nodded and led Star a little distance away from us, pointing at the two guys wading out of the surf.

"Go with them," I advised Paul.

"Yeah." He followed the other two.

Dwayne and I turned our attention to the pair by the fire, both now with knives in their hands. "Think you can do this?"

"Yeah," he said breathlessly.

"Remember, if you get cut it will heal, incredibly fast. It's nothing to worry about."

"Okay."

"Who the fuck are you?" one of the guys shouted to us.

"Let's just say we're the boardwalk police," I answered, grinning.

"What the fuck?" the second guy asked, raising his hand with the knife in it.

"We like the comic book store and the video store the way they are," Dwayne added. "Apparently, you're planning on robbing them."

"Fuck off, bunch of weirdos," the first guy said.

Suddenly, screams from the surf drew our attention and all four of us looked to our left. A blur of figures moving around showed us a fight already underway. Paul and Marko would handle themselves and protect Star, so I ignored it and turned to face the other two again. They were now both edging forwards, the second lowlife with a knife in one hand and a broken bottle in the other. As I met his eyes, he rushed me, both weapons held out in front of him. The guy had no clue. I stood my ground and laughed. He kept coming, expecting to strike me in the chest with the knife and the bottle, but in a split second, he found himself flat on his back, arms pinned, fangs hovering above his face.

"Fucking hell!" he gasped. "What the hell are you?"

"What does it look like?" Grinning, I leaned in closer. "You picked the wrong fight, buddy." I swooped in and latched onto him, going for his jugular. In seconds, he was gurgling and taking his last breath. I wiped my mouth and sprang to my feet, looking for Dwayne.

The pair were still on their feet, circling each other like a pair of prize fighters waiting for the right moment. I watched, knowing Dwayne could handle it physically, but unsure he would be able to take this step right now. He'd said he would try, but if he couldn't do it, I'd have to finish the job.

I risked a glance towards the surf. Paul and Marko were tossing two bodies into the sea and Star stood watching, biting her nails. I looked back at Dwayne, just as his opponent sprang at him and slashed at his stomach. Dwayne stepped back, but the tip of the knife ripped through his shirt and opened a small gash in his flesh. I clenched my firsts and took a step closer.

"Back off, David," Dwayne said through his teeth.

I waited, poised, as did the others, now standing in a small semi-circle facing our way. "Come on, then, you fucking queer. What are you waiting for?" Dwayne's opponent taunted.

I glanced at Dwayne, surprisingly looking normal with his eyes brown and fangs hidden. Suddenly he sprang, shot up in the air maybe fifteen feet, and landed behind the other guy. Before the man had a chance to turn, Dwayne was on him, gripping his shoulders. His fangs emerged and he hesitated, his heart hammering, blood racing through his veins, his body shaking just enough to betray his anxiety. Then he bit.

"Come on, that's it," I whispered. He would hear me, despite the words being so quiet that the wind whipped them away the moment they left my mouth.

The man fell to the ground, struggling and crying out in pain and fear. Dwayne went down with him, still latched onto his neck. The rich coppery scent made my nostrils twitch, and I licked my lips as I watched, excited beyond anything I'd expected. I imagined I felt like a proud father, not that I had any clue what that could be like. I listened to the heartbeat of Dwayne's victim, slowing until he took his last breath and the flow stopped. Dwayne released him and stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Fuck," he muttered.

"Welcome to the family," Paul said, grinning.

"Thanks. I think." Dwayne glanced at me.

"Nice one." I smiled. "Let's get rid of these." I picked up my victim and walked towards the sea, taking a quick look at Star as I passed the others. My eyes met Marko's and I raised an eyebrow. He nodded.

So, she did it too. She wouldn't for me, but it had all worked out for the best. Now, I had Dwayne. He was without a doubt, the best thing that had ever happened to me.


	8. Chapter 8

With the bodies gone, washed out to sea, Paul went to dispose of one of the two motorbikes that had belonged to our victims. I took the other, checked it over, and wheeled it to where Dwayne waited, silent and thoughtful.

"Here you go. I said we'd get you a bike."

"This is how you live? Taking whatever your victims leave behind?" Dwayne smiled wryly. "You said you all had inheritances."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you the truth then. It was the best I could come up with. If you don't want the bike—"

"I didn't say that." He examined the machine, his smile becoming more genuine. "This is a better bike than any of yours."

"Yeah, I noticed that."

"I think I'll keep it." He got on, started the engine, and roared away across the sand.

I ran a hand through my hair. I hadn't known him that long, but I knew him well enough to realise he was probably having some unpleasant thoughts about what he'd done. It was about to get worse, too. I still had to tell him what was going to happen to him over the next twenty-four hours.

"You'd better get after him," Paul said, appearing at my side.

"I know. Marko!" I beckoned the other vampire and he shot to my side in a split second. "Have you told Star what's going to happen?"

"Not yet. I thought I'd do it when we get home in case she freaks out. What about Dwayne?"

"Same. It'll take longer for him than her. She's much smaller."

Marko nodded. "I'll tell her as soon as we get back. They must have some idea, though, right? They know we're dead."

I nodded. "Yeah, just not what we went through to get this way." Grimacing, I began checking for any evidence left of the motorcycle boys. Other than a few beer bottles and the ends of joints, plus the clothes of the two that had been in the sea, there was nothing much. I tossed the clothes onto the fire and watched them burn, then kicked sand into the embers. Paul gathered up the bottles, tried each one for leftover beer, then threw them into the sea.

Marko led Star away and by the time Paul and I found our bikes, the couple were gone. We rode home fast, and I sighed with relief when I found Dwayne's new bike beside Marko's. He was back. I bounded down the steps into the cavern. It was empty, but Marko's voice drifted to my ears from the direction of the passage. He must be talking to Star.

"Dwayne?" I looked around the curtains and found him lying on our bed, hands behind his head. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. What happens now?"

"You must have an idea."

"Yeah." He sat up. "Tell me how it happens."

I kicked off my boots and sat on the bed facing him. After a moment, I took his hand and held it tight.

"That bad, huh?" He laughed.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing. It's kind of hysterical laughter. I'm going to die, aren't I? Obviously I am. Does it hurt?"

"It's painful and it's not pretty. Have you ever seen anyone die?"

"No. Well, yeah. That guy tonight. I didn't take a lot of notice of how he looked."

"Okay. Basically, any fluid, or anything that's left in your body, other than blood, has to come out. Any time in around twelve to twenty-four hours from now, you'll get sick and throw up anything that's left in your stomach. The blood you drank will have absorbed into your body, so that won't come out."

"Right, so I'm gonna puke, then die?"

"Yeah. Um, anything that's digested is going to come out the other way. You'll have cramps, palpitations, rapid pulse, sweating. Then you get sluggish, your heart slows down, and slows until—"

"I get the picture." Dwayne made a face. "I should probably go and find somewhere else to be until after."

"No. You're not going through that on your own. I did and it was horrible. Paul and Marko both had me. Star will have Marko. You have me. I'm not leaving you alone."

"Oh, hell no. If you think I'm gonna puke and shit my guts out in front of you, you're crazy."

"Fine." I let it drop. I could see him getting wound up over it to the point that he walked out. "When it's time, go down the passage to the sea. No one will be watching, but you won't be totally alone either."

"All right. I guess that'll have to do. What now?"

"Get in bed. It'll be dawn soon and we'll need to sleep."

Dwayne got up, stripped out of his clothes without a word, and slid under the bed covers. I undressed too and joined him. It didn't occur to me to try and have sex. It didn't seem like the right time, when Dwayne had only a few hours left in his current life. He clearly felt the same, as he moved into my arms and lay still, his dick soft where it rested against my leg. His heart skipped erratically, and his breathing grew uneven.

"It'll be okay," I murmured.

"If you say so."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

"I'm going to die, David."

"Do you wish tonight hadn't happened?"

"No."

"Do you wish I'd never found you?"

"No." He wrapped his arm around my neck and pressed closer. "I want this. I do. I'm just fucking scared, that's all."

"It'll be over soon." I kissed his forehead. "Go to sleep. I'm here."

I sounded like a sap, but it made me smile, nevertheless. Dwayne closed his eyes and gradually his anxious breathing settled, and his pulse slowed. I stayed conscious until he'd slipped away, then finally let myself sleep.

I woke in the late afternoon to the sound of screams. Star. I didn't worry—she had Marko with her, and probably Paul, too. Paul, in the absence of a partner of his own, had become like a big brother to the pair of them.

"It hurts!" she wailed, her voice echoing through the cavern. I listened, hoping Dwayne wouldn't wake. Mercifully he didn't, and after an hour or so, there was silence again.

"David?" Paul whispered from the other side of the curtain.

"I'm awake."

He pulled the curtain aside a little and stuck his head in. "She's okay. Sleeping now. Marko's going to hunt as soon as it's dusk and bring back something for when she wakes. How's he doing?"

"He's fine. Slept through it."

"I'll stay here until it's over," he said.

"Thanks, Paul."

He nodded and left us. Dwayne slept on. Darkness fell, and still he didn't stir. Marko returned after his hunt, and Star woke, weak, shaking, and starving. Marko fed her, then took her with him and went out again. I sat up and stretched my arms above my head, trying not to disturb Dwayne. It was better that he slept as long as possible, so he wouldn't have time to worry.

Another hour passed, and finally he opened his eyes. "How long did I sleep?"

"All day and part of the night. It's approaching midnight," I told him.

"How long do I have?"

"I don't know. It could be any time."

"It's hot in here." He threw off the bed covers, and I noticed his skin glistening with sweat. The scent of it reached my nostrils, along with the smell of his blood racing through his veins. His heart stuttered, lurched, and resumed racing. His eyes widened in shock. "Is this it?"

"Yes."

"I'm going outside." He stumbled off the bed, reached for his leather pants, then changed his mind and wrapped a blanket around himself instead. He headed down the passage towards the sea. I got dressed and paced around, clenching and unclenching my fists, while Paul lay on one of the couches, sickenly relaxed.

"You'll wear a hole in the floor," he said with a grin.

"Shut up."

"He'll be fine. You know that, right?"

"I know. I just hate that he's going to suffer first."

Paul chuckled. "Fucking sap."

I heard vomiting and shot down the passage at the speed of sound. Dwayne had discarded the blanket and was crouching on a rock, violently throwing up into the sea below. He held his hair back with one hand and clutched his stomach with the other. He didn't look around, but he'd know I was there. I stayed a few feet away, as much as I ached to go to him and hold him.

"Leave me… alone," he spluttered suddenly, then retched hard again.

I ground my teeth and clenched my fists. I had done this to him. He was dying, right in front of me, and it was down to me. I hated myself, but at the same time, I longed for it to be over so I could take him in my arms and have him the way I wanted, forever.

"Fucking Christ," he panted. "David, don't look at me." Groaning, he rolled off the rock and crawled on hands and knees into the waves lapping at the edge of the cave. Only his head and shoulders were visible, and he continued to splutter and choke, although very little came up. He moaned and cursed, squirming in discomfort as his stomach turned itself inside out. I knew exactly how it felt. It was like trying to shit out your intestines, but of course that didn't happen, it just felt that way.

I hadn't had anyone to help me. Max had left me alone in his garage, locked in, terrified, without telling me what would happen. I hadn't known much about vampires and I certainly hadn't known I'd have to die. I'd writhed on the cold stone floor, screaming, helpless and weak, and a complete mess by the end of it. I'd regained consciousness, such as it was, when Max turned a powerful hose on me to clean me up.

"I'm here," I murmured. "I'm not leaving you, Dwayne." He'd hear me, even above the sound of his own agony and the waves splashing the rocks.

Perhaps an hour passed, and Dwayne collapsed, becoming submerged completely until a second later I hauled him out of the sea. His body rolled limply onto the cave floor, the whites of his eyes showing. His heart was still beating, but only just. I wrapped the blanket around him, gathered him into my arms, and carried him back to our bed.

"David?" Paul leapt up from the couch.

"The worst is over," I said.

"Okay. Good. I'll go and get something to eat. You want me to bring something back?"

"I'll be fine. I'll hunt later, before dawn."

"Right." He left and I heard his bike start up and roar off into the distance.

I lay down on the bed beside Dwayne and listened to every sound his body made—the slow thump of his heart, breaths, taken only three or four times a minute. He was fading, but at least now he'd lost consciousness and didn't wait for the end in fear. I slid my arms around him and waited.

It didn't take much longer. Fifteen minutes later he took his last breath and his heart stopped. Stupidly, I wept, relieved the others were all out. They'd think I was ridiculous, crying over his human death. I pulled myself together and waited, my gaze fixed on his face. When he opened his eyes, he'd be starving.

Paul returned an hour later, bringing with him a giggling, drunken girl. He looked in on us, eyebrows raised.

"Not long now," I said. "Why did you bring someone back? This isn't the time."

"She's for you. You know what's gonna happen when he wakes up. He'll drain you, and we're only a couple of hours away from dawn."

"Okay. Yeah. Thanks."

"Not like you to be so unaware." Paul grinned. "Must be love."

"Fuck off. Does that girl know anything?"

"No, she's smashed. I gave her some wine. Actual wine."

I nodded and turned my attention back to Dwayne. Unconcerned about Paul laughing, I lifted a hand and touched my sleeping vampire's face. His skin had lost its warmth and most of its colour. I ran my thumb over his lower lip, then bent and brushed my lips across his cheek.

"Jesus Christ," Paul muttered.

I gave him the finger. Then Dwayne's eyes snapped open, gold and fierce. He opened his mouth, fangs protruding, and snarled before he realised he was with me. The growl died in his throat and he groaned instead. I guided his mouth to my neck and this time I didn't have to open a wound to encourage him. His fangs punched through my skin and opened a vein. After a few mouthfuls, his body came alive, strong muscles pinning me down as he fed greedily, drawing my blood from me at a concerning rate.

"Shit," Paul said under his breath.

"It's okay," I whispered. I was weakening. My hand fell from Dwayne's neck, landing limply on the bed covers. My blood rushed through my veins to the point where it was leaving my body, leaving me almost incapable of movement. I licked my lips, grimacing at the dry, cracking skin. I couldn't die like this, but soon I'd be desiccated and in a lot of pain.

Dwayne tore his mouth from my neck and licked his lips, yellow eyes meeting mine. Immediately, the colour changed to brown and a frown of concern wrinkled his brow. "Fuck. David! Shit, Paul, what have I done?"

"Stay there. Don't worry." Paul disappeared and a moment later returned with the girl he'd brought back.

"What are we doing? Ooh, three sexy guys. Is this an orgy?" She broke into hysterical laughter.

Paul pushed her onto the bed beside me, jabbed a thumbnail into her wrist, and placed it over my mouth. Blood flowed rapidly, trickling down my throat and out of the corners of my mouth. My tongue and lips grew moist again and my fangs emerged. I bit hard and swallowed rapidly. The girl began to struggle and shriek, and Paul and Dwayne grabbed her, holding her in place until I was strong enough to move and go for her throat.

"At least one of us has some sense," Paul said. "_I'll be fine. I'll hunt later, before dawn,_" he mimicked. "Bullshit, David."

I finished feeding and released the young girl's corpse. "All right, know it all. You were right, so thanks."

Grinning, Paul took the body away. I turned my attention to Dwayne again and took his hand. "How do you feel?"

"Good. More alive than I ever felt before."

I pulled him closer and touched his face with my free hand. "Now we will never be parted."


	9. Chapter 9

I woke to find Dwayne looking down at me, watching me sleep. The peaceful look on his face and the smile on his lips quickly vanished, and he grew alarmed.

"You're starving."

"I'm okay." I wasn't. The girl Paul had brought me had helped me recover, but it hadn't been enough. I imagined my veins feeling hollow, like a human's stomach when he or she was hungry.

"You're not. I drained you. Almost killed you."

"You can't kill me." I sat up. "Look, I'm fine. Is it dusk?"

"Yes."

I leaned over and kissed him on the lips. "Then let's go and hunt."

We left our bed and ran into Marko and Star emerging from her sleeping area. She smiled and lowered her eyes, and I guessed if she'd still been human, she would have blushed.

"Are you two okay?" I asked.

"Yes, thank you." She smiled directly at me. "How about you? You look… tense."

"He's starving," Dwayne said uncomfortably.

"Stop worrying so much." I grabbed his hand and led him to the steps. Marko and Star followed, and Paul quickly appeared from the passage.

"Damn you lovesick couples," he grumbled. "At least I got the perch all to myself."

"You should find someone for yourself," Marko said. "You won't regret it."

"Fuck that. I don't want to be answering to anyone."

"You answer to me," I reminded him.

"That's different." He hurried past us and went to his bike. "Race you!"

The four bikes roared across the sand, Dwayne easily streaking ahead on his newer, faster bike. I took my time, grinning like a fool as I rode. Maybe Paul was right—I was lovesick.

We parked near the comic book store as usual, and Paul went in to look for something new to read. The rest of us hung around the entrance. I couldn't resist teasing the Frogs, although in my current state, it probably wasn't that wise. The pair of them were instantly on the defensive when they saw me. Edgar approached with a pistol in one hand and a stake in the other. Alan had a stake and a garlic necklace.

"You do realise garlic's a myth," I teased.

"No it's not." He glared at me.

"We'll see, shall we?" I reached out, snatched the chain of bulbs from his neck in the blink of an eye, and bit into one of them. "Yum. Can't beat a bit of garlic. It'd be better with some fresh meat, though."

Alan took a step back in horror, and held his stake up with a shaking hand, aimed in the general direction of my chest.

"Great, David." Dwayne took the garlic from me and tossed it aside. "You can forget kissing me later, with breath like that."

Marko snorted and Star giggled. The Frog brothers advanced a step, weapons at the ready.

"Garlic will improve the situation, death breath," Edgar growled. He had an astonishingly deep voice for a kid.

"Are you actually gonna stake us with those, or are they for show?" Paul teased. "You see, I can see two stakes and—" He gestured around him. "Five hungry vampires. Which of us is it to be? And which one of you do you think will bite the dust first shortly after, at the hands of the three of us left?"

"You guys are so cruel. Leave them alone," Star said then. "They're just kids."

"Yeah, let's go. Before I'm forced to feed from the slim pickings here." I quirked an eyebrow at Edgar, then strode out of the store. The others followed me.

"You're so mean." Star laughed, none the less. "You probably give them nightmares."

We headed down the boardwalk, Marko and Star hand in hand, me longing to hold Dwayne's hand and restraining myself. The last thing we needed was a lot of attention from homophobes. It may be the Eighties, but not many people were accepting, particularly not in Santa Carla.

"Do we have to feed every day?" Dwayne asked me. "'Cause I was thinking, if that's the case, surely the town will disappear eventually."

I laughed. "No, as a rule, a couple of times a week is enough, sometimes less than that. We've been overdoing it lately. In my case, it was necessary. There are enough newcomers flocking here for it not to make much of a difference, though."

"Why do people come here, when the place has such a bad rep?"

"Curiosity, maybe. Or having no choice. It's a cheap place to live. Those that have been here all their lives usually can't get out because they can't afford to. We get a lot of tourists. Haven't you always been here?"

"Yes, but most of my life has been shit. I didn't take a lot of notice of anyone else's problems, or what's going on in the news."

"What did you think when you first met me?" I asked. It had been less than a week, and yet it felt like I'd known him half my life.

"I thought, 'what does this gorgeous man want with a dirty, homeless, waste of space like me?' I thought there must have been an ulterior motive. Maybe you wanted to make use of me and because I was homeless, you thought I'd be cheap."

"You know that's not true."

"I know, but that's what I thought when you first came to me. Are we hunting soon, because if we're not careful, someone's going to see your eyes soon and freak out?"

"Yes, let's try the beach again."

Within an hour, both Dwayne and I had fed on a couple of older homeless people we found huddled in the shelter of a wrecked boat. Paul, Marko, and Star had left us, but we found them later heading over to watch the band performing. We joined them and made our way through the crowd to stand on a grassy bank, giving us the best view. The rock band was in full swing, a muscular, sweaty guy with long hair alternately singing and playing the saxophone.

"Don't go getting any ideas," I teased Dwayne.

"Why, are you jealous?"

"I'm possessive."

"Maybe I should go and find him after the show—"

"You do, and he'll be dead before you can touch him," I threatened.

"You know I wouldn't, right? Like you said, I'm yours. Particularly now. I wouldn't even consider it, David."

"I know that."

"Besides, if I got that close to a human now, I'd be wanting to suck his blood, not his dick."

Laughing, I pulled him closer and kissed him. The people around us took no notice, too engrossed in the music.

"What are you looking at?" Marko asked suddenly. I pulled away from Dwayne to see Marko following Star's gaze across the crowd of people.

"The two guys over there. One about our age and a younger one," Star said. "The older one keeps staring."

"Obviously he likes you." Marko looked at her anxiously. "What about you?"

"He's not my type. But there's something about him." She giggled suddenly. "Maybe I should eat him. Or change him."

"You can forget the latter," I said. "I choose who joins us and we just found our fourth."

"Fifth. You're forgetting me." Star stared at me mutinously. "Just because you found what _you_ want all of a sudden, doesn't mean the rest of us have to just follow you blindly."

"You forget who you belong to," I said through my teeth.

"I don't belong to anyone, least of all you. Maybe I'll just leave and start my own group. Marko?"

"Don't do this." He shook his head.

"You don't support me?" She turned her glare on him.

"Not in this. David's right."

"He's brainwashed you all." Star shot me an evil look and slipped away into the crowd.

"I'm sorry," Marko said.

I shrugged_._ "Don't apologise for her. You should go after her."

"You know where my loyalties lie."

"Yeah, but don't lose her because of it. Try to keep her under control, though."

He nodded and went after Star.

"Trouble in paradise already." Paul laughed. "You see why I like being on my own?"

"It doesn't have to be like that," Dwayne told him.

"No, it doesn't." I kissed his cheek.

Paul mimed sticking his fingers down his throat and rolled his eyes.

We turned our attention back to the band and watched the end of the set. The crowd began to disperse, but Marko and Star didn't come back. I checked out the area where the two guys had been, but the older one was gone. The younger remained, accompanied by Alan Frog.

The three of us made our way home and when we parked, we found a new strange bike beside Marko's. Eyes narrowing, I trotted down the steps to find Star and Marko entertaining the guy we'd seen in the crowd. He sat on one of the couches while Star sat on the other, holding the bejewelled bottle, while Marko hovered anxiously.

"Don't do this, Star," he begged.

"What's going on? Who's this?" Paul asked.

"This is Michael." Star got to her feet.

"Hey." The guy named Michael glanced around at us, appearing wary, and so he should.

I glared, although Paul and Dwayne greeted him with a nod.

"Try this, it's really good." Star passed the bottle to Michael, then stared defiantly at me.

"Star, no!" Marko shot towards Michael to retrieve the bottle. He had already lifted it to his mouth. "Don't drink that, it's blood!"

"Yeah, right." Michael snorted and tipped up the bottle, taking several gulps before he lowered it.

"Oh, fuck. David, I'm sorry," Marko muttered.

"Shit," Paul said behind me.

I hesitated. Not too long ago, I would have simply killed Michael and dumped him in the sea, but I had more at stake than I had then. I had Dwayne, and I didn't want to bring trouble into our home. Michael had someone, likely a brother, who was in with the Frogs. It would be easy to kill the lot of them, but we'd draw too much attention to ourselves. We didn't, as a rule, go for families, or people who were well-known and would be missed.

I glanced at Michael, licking his lips, eyes unfocussed, and made a decision. I turned to Marko. "You'd better make sure she finishes the job."

"Kill him?" he mouthed silently.

I shook my head. "Make us six. Better him have to deal with that other kid, presumably his brother, than them start looking for his corpse."

"I was going to get him to change anyway," Star spat. "I do what I want, David."

"You'll regret saying that, or even thinking it." Passing her over to Marko was one decision I wished I hadn't made. I should have buried her, like I had the others. Now we were going to have to constantly keep an eye on her, because she couldn't be trusted and may end up bringing about our downfall.

"I think I should be going now." Michael picked up a jacket, shaking himself as if he'd woken from a dream. "Good to meet you all."

"I'm sorry I didn't introduce you properly." Star smiled at him, and made a show of pointing at us in turn. "That's Paul… Dwayne… David."

"Hi. Goodbye." Paul grinned and flashed his fangs.

Michael's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. He took a wary look at me, then sidled around Paul and made his way up the steps. A moment later we heard his bike riding away.

"You shouldn't have done that," Marko said to Star. "Why did you? We don't need another."

"Why not? Why shouldn't I make a new member if I want to? He's nice. Six is a good number."

"We're four," I growled. "You are lucky to be alive. You want to know what happened to the twelve others before you? That I tried to make my companions, but failed to turn? They're dead. Every last one of them. You were supposed to follow them, but Marko liked you, so you got a stay of execution. Don't think you're safe just because you're undead. You put one more foot out of line, and I _will _finish the job the way I should have."

Star's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. If her face wasn't white to begin with, I imagined it would have lost all its colour. Marko looked much the same, with a bit of resignation.

"Star, do you want to be with me or not?" he asked.

"Yes, I do." She went to his side and grasped his hand in both of hers.

"Than do as David says. He meant what he said."

"Fine." She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm going to bed. Are you coming?" She walked away without waiting for an answer and disappeared behind the drapes around her bed. Marko hesitated, then followed.

"Jesus," Paul muttered. "I'll say it again. I have _no_ intention of getting myself landed with a situation like that. Ever." He lifted off the ground and flew off down the passage to his perch.

"I guess that's our cue to retire." I made my way to the bed Dwayne and I shared. He joined me, stripped off his clothes, and slid under the covers. "Are you tired?" I asked.

"No." He grinned, fangs glinting. "You?"

"No." I undressed quickly, my fangs lengthening along with my dick. Suddenly, I couldn't wait. Now he was a full vampire and well-fed, there was no end of possibilities for the fun we could have.


	10. Chapter 10

Dwayne knelt on the bed, thighs spread wide, stretching the muscles. His dick jutted out in front of him, bobbing slightly, and I stared, unconsciously licking my lips. I took in every inch of him, allowing my gaze to creep up his body from the dark patch of trimmed hair up over his abs to his chest. His body had filled out in just a couple of days so he no longer looked half-starved. His pecs were well-developed, small brown nipples hard and inviting, dark hair hanging around his shoulders. His chest rose and fell with each rapid breath. We, vampires, often continued to breathe normally even though we didn't need to. It was habit.

"Hell, David, you're looking at me like I'm something to eat." Dwayne laughed self-consciously.

"You are." I moved in closer, allowing our dicks to bump together, then took his mouth in a heated kiss. My fangs pierced his lip and I sucked in a mouthful of sweet blood. He groaned, responding by crushing his mouth harder against mine. When I thrust in with my tongue, his fangs punctured it. Our blood mingled in his mouth and our erections grew harder. I drew back carefully, freeing my impaled tongue. "I want to fuck you," I murmured.

Dwayne smiled, then turned away and reached for his leather pants. He retrieved a small tube of something from the pocket and tossed it onto the mattress. "Lube," he explained.

"How do you want it?" I had no idea what position would be best with a man. In my imagination, I supposed bending him over something would be the only way.

"I have a couple of favourites. Let's start like this." He turned his back to me, still kneeling. "You want me to get myself ready?"

"No, I'll do it." I had no idea what I was doing, but at least I'd had my fingers in him before. I supposed I would do that, only with lube. I grabbed the tube, coated my fingers, and pressed in. I caressed him with my free hand, stroking his firm arse and thighs, then sliding my hand under him to squeeze his balls. He moaned and shuddered, arse clenching around my fingers. "Is this okay?" I asked.

"Yes," he gasped. "Fuck, I'm not gonna last long."

I gripped his balls tighter and tugged hard, drawing them away from his body. He yelped, and his arse tightened more.

"Come on, Dwayne, that doesn't hurt. We're the undead."

"It was a surprise. Worked, though."

I released him and slid my fingers out, then squeezed out more lube to stroke onto my dick. "You ready?"

"Uh huh." He leaned forward, placing both hands on the mattress.

I lined myself up, gripping the base of my erection to guide it. He was so tight. With only the head in, I paused, panting and tugging on my own balls to push away my impending orgasm. Only a week ago, I could never have imagined myself doing this, but then again, it hadn't crossed my mind. Who knew? Would I have wanted him if we'd met when I was still human, without the scent of his blood to entice me? Maybe.

"Do it. You won't break me," he encouraged.

I pushed in, slowly and steadily, until my thighs were flush with his and I was buried deep, every inch gripped by his tight muscles. Then he pushed his upper body up, resting his back against my chest and practically sitting in my lap.

"Oh, fuck," I hissed. "You feel amazing."

"So do you."

I slid my arms around him and held him against me, my dick deep inside him, and stroked the tip of his between finger and thumb. His blood raced through his veins and my mouth watered. I allowed my fangs to break the skin below his ear, and sealed the wound with my lips. The ultimate ecstasy for a vampire—sex and feeding at the same time. Dwayne groaned, writhing on my lap as I began to move, shallow thrusts with my hips.

"More," he begged.

I quickened my pace, hips jerking, my hand gripping him tight and stroking firmly, fangs pressing deeper into his neck, giving a little more of everything.

"Fuck!" he cried.

"Mm," was the only response I could make, with my mouth clamped to his neck. I closed my eyes, allowing every sensation to take over—the taste and smell of him, the feel of him in my arms, around my dick, lingering warmth from when we'd both fed earlier. I didn't want it to end, but it was about to. I withdrew my fangs and licked the small wounds clean.

"Want to try a different way?" he asked.

"Yeah."

He rose from my lap and I slid out of him. The loss of feeling made me groan, and Dwayne laughed. He turned around and lay down on his back, legs spread and knees drawn up. "Like this."

I moved between his thighs and bent over him, my erection finding its own way home. Dwayne slid his arms around me, and wrapped his legs around my waist. I turned my face into his neck, quickly discovering this position was perfect for us to taste each other. I felt the gentle prick of his fangs on my skin and my whole body shuddered with pleasure. I'd never had a full vampire lover before, and it was better than I could possibly have imagined. My blood sang in my veins, and my mouth flooded with the taste of him again. For every mouthful I took, he took one from me, as our bodies rocked together, joined in every way possible. He slid a hand between us, stroking himself to keep with me. When I came, deep in him, he shot his load across my abdomen.

Our fangs retracted at the same time and we collapsed in each other's arms. When I opened my eyes and met his, the yellow had faded and his irises were back to their gorgeous brown colour.

"I—" I stopped, realising I'd been about to utter words completely foreign to me, without even thinking what they meant. Did I love him? I had no experience of it. I'd used people my whole life, and my family hadn't been a loving bunch either. My parents had fought like cat and dog until they went their separate ways, neither one wanting to take me with them. I'd been fifteen. "I'm never gonna let you go," I said instead.

"I'm yours," Dwayne responded. His eyes told me much more—they told me he was thinking the same way I was.

I stirred hours later, still wrapped around Dwayne as if our bodies were trying to merge into one. I smiled and nuzzled his ear, breathing in the scent of him. His lips twitched up at the corners. I extended my tongue and traced the shape of his ear. "Would you believe me if I said I've never woken up like this before?"

"You mean with someone?"

"Yeah."

"I guess I can believe it." He grinned and turned to face me, slowly opening his eyes. "Does that mean I'm somehow special?"

"You know you are."

"Hell's teeth, have you heard them?" Paul's voice drifted through the curtain. "It's like _Gone With The Wind_ or some shit."

"Fuck off," I called out. "You've never seen _Gone With The Wind._"

"Don't split hairs, David. Lovesick. That's what you are. Bleurgh."

Dwayne laughed. "You're just jealous, Paul."

"Right. I'm going down to the boardwalk. You coming?"

"I'm coming perfectly well right here, thanks." I snorted at the sound of his fake vomiting. I kissed Dwayne's cheek. "You hungry?"

"No. I had plenty from you."

"Me too. I wouldn't mind going out for a while, though."

"Sure."

We got up and dressed. Dwayne didn't bother with a shirt, but wore his jacket, unfastened, bare chest visible. "You're a fucking tease," I growled. "I hope that's for my benefit, and not that muscle-man in the band."

"You know it is. I thought I'd tease you all night so you fuck me again later." Grinning, he swung the curtain aside and disappeared.

Paul, Marko, and Star were gone from the cavern. Dwayne and I took our time and rode our bikes back to the boardwalk. For once, we left the Frog brothers alone and looked around the stalls instead. I bought Mexican snacks from a food stand and we ate as we walked. Dwayne paused at a jewellery stall, examining items made from wolf teeth.

"Those are cool." I picked up a necklace, a leather thong with a large tooth suspended from it.

"Yeah, I like that, too. And this." He showed me an earring made in similar style. I picked it up and held it out towards the stall-holder along with the necklace. "I'll take these."

She told me the price and I paid, then drew Dwayne away from the stall. Before he could protest, I had fastened the necklace around his neck. The wolf's tooth rested on his bare chest, drawing my gaze even more than before. "That's sexy as fuck."

"You didn't have to buy this for me. But thank you."

"The earring is for you, too. If you want it."

"My ear's not pierced."

"I can fix that?" I made it sound like a question, and he nodded immediately. We headed down to the sand, away from the people on the boardwalk. Dwayne held his hair out of the way, and I carefully punched a hole through his left ear with one of my fangs, then put the earring in. The wolf's tooth and a feather dangled against his neck.

"How does it look?"

"Perfect. The damn thing draws my attention to your neck even more."

Dwayne laughed. "Thank you, David."

We spent a couple of hours on the beach, fooling around and smooching. I put off thinking about what Star had done to the new kid, Michael, as long as possible, until I spotted them farther down the beach. Michael was with Star, Marko, and Paul, and I was thankful that Paul was keeping an eye on things. The problem was, Michael was now stuck in his half-vamp situation unless one of two things happened—he killed someone and become a full vampire, or I died which would return him to normal. Or of course, Michael could die.

"What are you thinking?" Dwayne slid his hand into mine and squeezed it.

"What to do about Michael."

"Ah. If he doesn't make a kill, what happens? Is he stuck like that?"

"Yes. He'll be in torment. You know how you felt. If I hadn't fed you, you'd have felt like hell. The only other way, is if I die. Then he'll return to normal."

"Why you?"

"I'm head vampire. It's my blood in his veins."

"How long can we live?"

"Max, my maker, was a couple of hundred years old. There's no limit."

"Fuck! Do you think Michael will change?"

"I don't know. I don't know him. If he has family, he'll probably fight it. We'll have to play it by ear and keep a close eye on things. In the meantime, we could have a bit of fun with him."

We went to join the others. Star and Michael immediately looked wary. Paul and Marko's expressions were of relief. "Want to go for a ride?" I suggested.

After Paul and Marko agreed, Michael nodded reluctantly. We retrieved our bikes, Star doubling up with Marko. Dwayne and I led the way to the bridge where the train tracks crossed. The night freight train would be coming by soon, and I chuckled to myself as an idea formed in my head. I parked my bike and the others did the same.

"What are we doing?" Star asked.

"Just having a little fun." I led the way out onto the bridge and the others followed, like lemmings. Dwayne reached for my hand and laced our fingers together. Out here, with only the rest of the group to see, I didn't care. I squeezed his hand and leaned in to kiss his newly pierced ear.

"They're gay?" Michael asked in a low voice.

"David didn't used to be," Star said.

"You do realise we have the hearing of bats." I laughed.

"Shit," Michael muttered.

"For your information, Star, you don't suddenly turn gay." Dwayne turned to look over his shoulder as we walked. "David just hadn't met me, that's all."

I laughed. "You're very sure of yourself."

"Of course I am. You wouldn't be without me."

"No, I wouldn't." I kissed his ear again. Then halted in the middle of the bridge.

Paul grinned, apparently realising what I had in mind. "I think I'm gonna head back. Be seeing you." He dropped off the side of the bridge.

"Fuck!" Michael exclaimed.

"I'll go too. Coming, honey?" Marko moved to the edge, smiling, then dropped, calling out "Bombs away!" as he went.

Dwayne laughed. Star sat down, dangled her legs for a moment, then disappeared. I released Dwayne's hand. "Go."

Silently, he stepped sideways and vanished. I turned to Michael and met his frightened gaze. "Are you with us, Michael?"

"What?"

"Come with me." I stepped backwards off the bridge and caught hold of the metal struts beneath as I fell. We all dangled from our hands, swinging our legs and laughing. Michael dropped to his knees and peered down at us. "Michael Emerson, come on down!" I teased.

The poor guy lowered himself gradually, an inch at a time, until he hung there with the rest of us. Moments later, the train came and the bridge began to shake. Kicking and struggling, Marko put on a terrified expression, let go of the bar, and disappeared into the fog below.

"Shit!" Michael held on tighter, screwing up his face with the effort as the train rumbled overhead and the bridge vibrated more violently, trying to shake us off. Paul and Star let go and disappeared, then Dwayne followed.

"Let go, Michael," I told him.

"You want me to do _what_?"

"You are one of us. Let go." I uncurled my fingers and allowed myself to float down slowly into the fog, knowing the sight would freak him out more than the others dropping rapidly as if they'd fallen. I landed on the ground with the others and we all laughed, our voices drifting up to Michael, still clinging to the bridge.

"This isn't right," Star said.

"Why do it, then? You could have stayed up there and helped him back on the bridge," I pointed out.

"I should go back."

She didn't have the opportunity to do anything, before Michael tumbled through the fog, struggling and screaming like a man falling to his death. I watched him clawing at the air, face contorted in panic, as his half-vampire body slowed and hovered in front of me, feet off the ground. His legs lowered and his feet landed gently.

"I told you, you are one of us. Or almost. You can do anything. You just need to decide to join us."

"You guys are all insane," he gasped. "I'm going home."

"You'll be back," Paul told him. "You won't be able to stop yourself."

"This isn't right." Star repeated and shook her head as Michael walked away to find his bike.

"You started it," I reminded her. "Not so long ago you were like him, and only yesterday you wanted us to become six. That's what has to happen now, unless you want him to go on in limbo indefinitely. Think before you act in the future. We don't change anyone without being one hundred percent sure it will work out. This guy has family, and that other one, his brother? He's in with the Frogs."

"I'm sorry." Star hung her head. "I didn't think."

"No, you didn't." I turned away from her and took Dwayne's hand again. We made our way back to our bikes, floating through the fog to the top of the gorge. The others didn't follow and we raced home to get some alone time before they got back. I found it all too easy to set the problem of Michael aside and lose myself in Dwayne once more.


	11. Chapter 11

Over the next few days we all fell into a routine. Dwayne and I were inseparable. I'd completely abandoned my perch in favour of sleeping in bed with him every day. We had sex each morning before falling into the sleep of the dead, woke in each other's arms and went for round two. Feeding from each other kept our hunger at bay, and we killed only once or twice a week. Every night we wandered the boardwalk, occasionally tormenting the Frogs, more often than not meeting up with Michael, who in his desperation, had been forced to drink from the bejewelled bottle a couple more times.

Star was subdued, realising what she'd done had only made Michael suffer. She spent most of her time with Marko, but they were nowhere near as close as Dwayne and me. Paul went on as usual, preying on pretty girls every so often by seducing them first and feeding on them after. They ended up in the sea.

None of us had met Michael's brother yet, although we'd learned he was fifteen and named Sam. They had a mother and grandfather too. My misgivings about the situation grew, especially when Sam started spending more and more time at the Frog brothers' store, the three of them looking as shifty as hell whenever they saw us. They had to be planning something. They didn't scare me. They were a bunch of teenagers who until recently had thought garlic could repel vampires, but they did have holy water pistols and stakes. There was always the chance one of them could get lucky if they planned an attack.

"What are we gonna do about this situation?" Paul asked me eventually. Marko, Star, and Michael were watching the band. The rest of us sat on the beach. "It's like everything's in limbo."

"I know." I sighed heavily. "I have to make a decision. Unfortunately, whatever choice I make is going to make trouble. Either he changes, or we kill him. That's all there is."

"And if we get him to change, his family and the Frogs are gonna come looking for him." Paul bit his lip. "We'll have to kill him."

"You think they won't come looking if we do that?" I snorted.

"We could always make it look like something else. Go for a motorcycle ride or something. If he were to crash and end up splattered across the highway, too badly bashed up for anyone to see exactly _how_ he died…"

"I suppose it could work." I imagined the scene. We could kill Michael, take him out somewhere to a deserted road, throw some blood around and smash up his bike, but the cops would be sure to smell a rat. Something wouldn't add up, like the pattern of blood on the ground, the way the bike was damaged, or whatever. Unless we engineered an actual accident. Had a bike race, knocked him off his bike, and finished him off quick before he could get up. "I'll think about it. We can't do anything tonight. It's Friday. Too many people around on the roads. Sunday will be quiet."

"That makes sense." Dwayne nodded. "I take it we're not talking to Marko and Star about this."

"Right. Much as Marko is loyal to me, who knows what he might give away when Star's bouncing on his dick."

Paul laughed. "So we'll keep this just between us. Probably better that they aren't there when we do this."

"Agreed." I got up. "Let's eat."

We bought Chinese food, then went to watch the last few songs of the band's set. Marko and Star were standing on the hill, but Michael was gone.

"He said his brother needed watching. Their mother and grandfather are out for the evening," Marko said.

"I thought his brother was fifteen. He needs a babysitter?" I frowned.

"The kid's a real pussy. Probably still has his mother picking out his clothes for him."

Paul laughed. "I can believe that. He has no fashion sense."

We returned home in the early hours of the morning. Paul flew off to his perch, while the rest of us went to our respective beds for some fun. By the time I closed my eyes to sleep with Dwayne in my arms, dawn was approaching. I pulled a blanket over our heads and slipped into darkness.

Screaming tore me out of my sleep, and I threw the blanket off. It was broad daylight, the cavern lit beneath the crack by bright sunshine.

Dwayne stirred and sat up, eyes wide. "What's happening?"

"Someone's here." I sprang up, pulled on my pants, and shot out into the main part of the cavern. "Oh, fuck. No!"

Star thrashed and screamed, gouts of blood exploding from her chest around the stake that had been rammed into her. Marko, fangs bared, stalked Alan Frog, who backed away up the steps, firing feebly from two water pistols. Marko ducked and dived past each spurt of holy water, then made a quick rush at Alan, threw him to the ground and snatched the pistols from his hands. Edgar rushed him from behind, stake raised.

Dwayne and I pounced as one, tearing Edgar away from Marko before he could strike. Marko finished his attack, fangs punching through Alan's army jacket collar and into his neck. Edgar, slippery as an eel, wriggled free and scampered up the steps into the sunlight at the top.

"Fuck! _Fuck_!" Snarling, I backed away and scrubbed a hand across my burning eyes. I hadn't cried in years, and the appearance of tears surprised me. But one of my pack was dead and it was my fault. The fact that I'd originally intended to kill her myself didn't register.

"I'm sorry." Dwayne slid an arm around me, but I shook him off. My eyes dried, and fury took over.

"Those kids are gonna pay," I hissed.

"One already did." Marko wiped his mouth and his eyes, then picked up Alan's body and went to dispose of it.

"So, it's started." Paul appeared, having missed everything. "One down. We still have to deal with Michael. And presumably Edgar."

"Michael gets it first." I forcibly retracted my fangs. "If it wasn't for him and his brother, the Frogs wouldn't have come here."

"The bike accident scenario, then?" Paul asked.

"Yes."

"What's this?" Marko returned, eyes burning yellow and rimmed with red. He couldn't bring himself to look at Star, who lay in a lake of blood in the middle of the floor.

Paul explained what we'd talked about, while Dwayne and I removed Star's body. After we'd tossed her in the sea, I caught his hand and kissed his knuckles. "I'm sorry," I murmured.

"For what?"

"Pushing you away."

He shook his head. "It's nothing. She was your lover once."

"It's not that. I meant to kill her back then. She's the first of my pack to die."

He nodded, understanding. "So now we're four again. That won't change."

"No, it won't. Once Michael is gone, and Edgar if he tries again, that should be the end of it."

"When did you plan this bike accident?" Marko asked.

"Yesterday," Paul answered. "We didn't want Star to know about it, that's the only reason we didn't tell you."

"I can keep my mouth shut." Marko scrubbed a hand across his eyes again. "Damn it."

"Yes, but we didn't want her to overhear. She was always around you. I'm sorry, buddy." Paul patted his shoulder.

"Then I'm in. If it wasn't for the Emersons, Star would still be alive." Marko threw his head up, anger taking over. "When do we do it?"

"Tonight. We all need more sleep first, but I think we should take turns at keeping watch, in case they come back."

"Our home's never gonna be safe again, is it?" Dwayne frowned.

"Yes, it will. When this is dealt with, I'll have _a word_ with Edgar."

"You mean kill him." Paul grinned.

"No. Both of them missing will draw too much attention. He won't talk about us because no one will believe him. But he won't want us stalking him or changing him. We'll see if an agreement can be reached."

"Okay. I'll take first watch." Marko sat down at the foot of the steps and put on a pair of shades.

"Wake me in two hours," I told him.

"Will do."

Marko woke me as promised, then returned to his old perch. He didn't want to sleep in the bed he'd shared with Star any more. I paced around the perimeter of the cavern for two hours, then woke Paul. Then I returned to bed, wrapped myself around Dwayne, and fell asleep. Paul didn't bother to disturb Dwayne. We all woke at dusk to find him pacing the same way I had.

"Are we doing this?" he asked as the four of us gathered at the foot of the steps.

"Yes. I have an idea of how it will work. I want you three to go out riding with Michael. He'll be less tense if I'm not there. Sound him out, see what he knows about what happened last night. If you can get him to ride out of town, head north along the interstate."

"What are you going to do?" Dwayne asked.

"Don't worry about that. If you know, you'll be watching for it. Just don't ride too close to him, okay? Staggered formation."

The others all nodded. "Go," I instructed.

The three bikes headed off, and I launched myself into the air and flew towards the boardwalk. I stayed high and out of sight, concentrating on the perimeter of the parking area. Few people were near the cars and I quickly found a truck ideal for what I had in mind. A Dodge Ram was huge, powerful, and protected by bull bars. A collision with a motorcycle would barely scratch it. The foolish owners had left the doors unlocked, and it took me seconds to hot-wire it and drive away.

I made my way to the interstate and began driving back and forth between the two intersections the riders would have to pass if they followed my instructions. Within half an hour, I spotted them coming towards me, the motorcycle lights strung out in a row as they rode single file. Dwayne led the way, the second bike ridden by Marko, then Michael. Paul brought up the rear. As we passed, Dwayne's head turned and his eyes met mine for a split second. Then they were gone. I waited only seconds before I swung the truck across the highway and turned around. The bikes were travelling slowly and I floored the accelerator to catch up. Five minutes passed and then Paul was in front of me. He glanced behind him, spotted me, and moved over to the right. I pulled up close behind Michael and before he had the chance to recognise he was in any danger, I accelerated again and rammed the rear of his bike. Glancing back, I noticed Paul had braked and fallen back to get out of the way.

Michael's bike and his body flipped into the air, somersaulting along the highway, the bike finishing up on the shoulder. Michael landed on his back and began to rise. I parked the truck, but Paul was already there. About to tear out Michael's throat, he paused, then gripped his head instead, planted a heavy boot on his chest, and ripped his head off his shoulders. I heaved a sigh of relief. Dwayne and Marko kept riding, disappearing into the distance.

"I've seen the victim of a bike accident before," Paul said. "Head severed. If I bit him, it would be more obvious."

"Yeah, good work." I looked down at the pool of blood surrounding Michael's body, the head dangling from Paul's hand by its hair. "We need to get out of here and fast."

"Yeah." Paul tossed the head away onto the shoulder and returned to his bike. I got in the truck and we continued after the others. Seconds later we passed a car coming the other way, but we didn't hear sirens until we were several miles away.

I returned the truck to its parking spot, wiped off any surfaces I'd touched, and closed the door. Vampires didn't leave fingerprints, but it would make it look as if someone had borrowed it and then covered their tracks, if the owners even noticed anything wrong, besides the scratch on the bar at the front. I climbed onto the back of Paul's bike and we stopped again near the comic book store.

"Michael didn't know anything," Paul told me. "He hadn't seen Edgar, nor had Sam. The guy's probably lying low and mourning his brother."

"One loose end to tie up." I walked into the store. Surprisingly, Edgar was there, although he looked as if he hadn't slept and had spent most of the day crying. No one else was in the store.

"What do you want?" He glanced from me to Paul and back again.

"Got a proposition for you," I said, trying a friendly smile.

"Right. Planning on killing me too?"

"No." Paul shook his head. "Why don't you listen to him?"

"You killed my brother," Edgar said, gritting his teeth. "And you want me to listen?"

"This trouble all started because of Star," I said. "I let her live because Marko liked her. I shouldn't have, but she's gone now, thanks to Alan. So is Michael."

"You killed Michael?" Edgar scowled.

"No." Paul shook his head. "He was in a motorcycle accident. His head was severed."

"Your doing? You're sick, you know that? How many more innocent people are you going to kill?"

"Listen, Edgar. Stay out of our home, and we'll stay out of yours," I said. "You think you have a chance against four of us? You don't. The only way you could do any damage is when we're all sleeping, like yesterday. But the minute you hurt one of us, the other three will tear you to pieces. If you'd realised that earlier, Alan would still be alive. Leave us alone, and we won't touch you or Sam, or the rest of his family, assuming they stay around here."

"And if I don't? I'm perfectly capable of forming my own _pack_."

"Of humans. They wouldn't stand a chance. You want the deaths of a bunch of other innocents on your conscience?"

Edgar glared, but thought about it before he answered. "No, I don't. But I'm here to help protect this town. I may not have much of a chance right now, but I will. One day, sooner or later, I'll have my opportunity. Alan would never have given up, nor will I. You'd better watch your back, David. Sleep with one eye open."

My fangs extended, but the appearance of a couple of other teenagers made me pause. One of them spoke to Edgar, asking him if he had a particular Superman comic.

"We'll be seeing you, Edgar." I gave him a curt nod and Paul followed me out of the store.

"Well, that went well." He huffed out a breath. "What now?"

"We'll start by getting some protection for our home. After that, we wait. He won't come after us on his own, but he could recruit some helpers. That fucking bitch Star could have started a war."


	12. Chapter 12

We returned to the cavern early that night. There seemed no point staying out until dawn. No one felt like being entertained. I took Dwayne to bed, while Paul and Marko went down to the sea at the end of the passage to hang out, unwilling to sit on the couches and listen to Dwayne and me fucking. They spent the night on their perches, taking two-hour turns at sleeping and pacing. At dusk, I woke first and found both Paul and Marko up.

"You didn't wake us." I frowned.

Paul grinned. "Figured we'd leave you two lovebirds alone."

"Thanks, but in the future, we all take a turn. If we do two and a half hours each, we'll only have to take one shift."

"And not for too long, with any luck." Paul pulled on his boots. "I have an idea."

"Where are you going?"

"To see a man about a dog." He vanished.

"Where's he going?" I asked Marko.

"I don't know. He's been pretty mysterious about it. All he said was that he had an idea of some protection for this place."

"Okay. We should go out and get some newspapers, to see if there's any fall out over Michael."

"I'm on it." Marko followed Paul.

Dwayne appeared, wearing only his pants and stretching. "Hey, gorgeous." I wrapped my arms around him enthusiastically, despite having left him only minutes ago.

"Hey." His lips met mine and as was often the case, we lost track of time, kissing and feeding a little from each other.

Something occurred to me then. Alan Frog had staked Star while she slept in Marko's arms. What would I have done if that had happened to Dwayne? If I woke to find him dying? I crushed him harder against me.

"David? You're gonna break my ribs."

I loosened my grip. "Sorry."

"Are you okay?"

I pulled my head back and met his eyes, warm and brown. I licked my lips and gulped, stupidly nervous. What the hell? What if somehow, something else happened and I lost him? He would never know if I didn't open my stupid mouth.

"I love you," I said softly.

"I know." He smiled. "I love you too."

"Nothing else will happen. But if it does… well, I wanted you to know. You are the most important thing in my life."

"You're right, nothing will happen. Because from now on we'll always be watching."

"I would have said it anyway," I added. "I just never have before. Either said it or felt it."

"Me neither."

I gave his lips a gentle caress with mine. "You hungry?"

"Only for a burger or something."

"Okay. Let's head out."

We spent a few hours in our usual haunt, wandering the boardwalk and watching the entertainment. We kept away from the comic book store. Marko joined us eventually, but there was no sign of Paul. The three of us returned home in the early hours of the morning, to find Paul sitting on the couch, playing tug of war with two young dogs, a rope toy in each hand. We all halted on the steps.

"What are those?" I asked.

"Puppies." Paul grinned.

"I can see they're puppies, but why? And where'd you get them?"

"I told you I was going to see a man about a dog. They're Doberman Pinschers. Excellent guard dogs. They're six months old and well into their training. The guy who owned them had a stroke and he can't manage them anymore. He wanted them to stay together and most people only want one puppy. If you read any of the Frog brothers' horror comics, you'd know that vampires often have dogs to guard them. They call them the hounds of hell. I thought, what if we have our own hounds of hell to guard us while we sleep? Then we won't have to take shifts."

"They'll need more training. Different training," I said doubtfully.

"I'll do that. My family always had dogs when I was a kid, and I had one of my own when I ended up alone. He died a few weeks before you found me."

I nodded. "I remember. You had a pit bull."

"Yeah. So, I'm going to train these Dobermans to guard us, whether we're in bed or on our perches. The slightest hint of a trespasser, and they'll wake us."

"They'll need taking care of too."

"Yup." Paul pointed to a large dog bed in one corner, a bowl of water, and another empty bowl with a sack of dog food beside it. There was also an assortment of toys and two leads which looked long enough for the dogs to run up the steps and outside if they were tied to something in the cavern. "The leads are long enough for them to go outside and do their business when we're sleeping. They'll need guiding where to go to start with, but they'll get it in a few days."

"Okay. Sounds good." I went to meet the puppies and they leapt around the rest of us in excitement, stumpy tails wagging as well as they could, tongues hanging out of their mouths. Their paws were huge. "How big will they get?"

"About a hundred pounds." Paul waved the rope toys around and the dogs raced back to him.

"Do they have names?" Marko asked.

"The guy called them Mars and Zeus—the god of war, and the god of the sky and thunder according to Greek mythology."

"Really? Since when did you go to school, Paul?"

"I went for a while. Greek mythology interested me. It was about the only thing that did, but still. I like the names."

"I do too," Dwayne said. "Which is which?"

"Blue collar is Zeus; red collar is Mars."

Dwayne crouched to pet Zeus who had grown bored of the rope toy. The dog placed his paws on Dwayne's shoulders and washed his face with a slobbery tongue. "I always wanted a dog. I'll help take care of them and train them. Just tell me what to do, Paul."

So, we had our hounds of hell. They were young yet, but with plenty of training they would soon be able to watch our backs. Marko and I left Dwayne and Paul playing with the dogs and sat down to go through the pile of newspapers Marko had collected. Only the most local rag mentioned Michael's death, and it was a small column on the sixth page. Apparently, he'd died as the result of a hit and run, his motorcycle badly damaged, and his body torn up and with the head severed. A post mortem was to be undertaken as routine, but there appeared to be no evidence for the cops to go on to trace the vehicle that could have hit him.

"Will a post mortem show anything?" Marko asked.

"No. Paul didn't bite him, so there are no suspicious marks and no saliva."

"What about his blood?"

I shrugged. "If my blood was tested, it would still show up normal. I'm O positive. Something like forty-five percent of the population have the same type. There's a reasonable chance his is the same. Even if it's not, he hadn't drunk from that bottle for more than twenty-four hours, so anything he had would have absorbed into his own blood. There'd be no trace. Even if there was, they'd never find anything. I don't officially exist. None of us do. I think all we have to worry about is Edgar getting some troops together and coming after us. If he does, we'll be ready."

"We should change him. Imagine the irony." Paul laughed loudly. "His brother kills Star. Marko kills Alan. Edgar tries to get his own back and ends up a vampire."

The others laughed. I cracked a smile.

"I'm joking, obviously," Paul added. "I know what you're thinking. We have our four, and we should have stuck with that."

"Yeah. So that's the way it's gonna stay now."

Days passed, then weeks. Everything stayed quiet. Michael's family were heard to be making enquiries to see if anyone knew if he'd been spending time with friends they didn't know about. There was talk about a bunch of guys he'd been seen with, but no one seemed to have much of a description of us. Even Edgar kept his head down and we kept away from him.

Zeus and Mars settled in well, and quickly became fond of all of us. I'd never been much of a dog lover, but I liked watching Paul and Dwayne train them, and we all took them out for runs on the beach in the evenings. The dogs quickly learned to protect their home and its inhabitants, and the slightest noise from outside had them on the alert, hackles up, teeth bared, growling and investigating the sound. At that point, we were able to stop our shifts of staying awake, and all sleep at once.

After a month, I decided to check out Edgar and see if I could establish if he was planning anything. I slipped away from the others on the boardwalk and went to see him.

For once, the store had several people in looking at the comics, and I lurked out of sight, waiting until some had made purchases and the remainder had left. Then I walked into the store. Edgar looked up and his eyes narrowed. I looked him over and discovered that surprisingly, he was unarmed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Seeing how the land lies." I strolled casually along the aisle, glancing around at the comics. "How's business?"

"What do you care?"

"Just being friendly."

"Hah." Edgar scowled. "What do you want, David?"

"I've been hearing a few whispers. The Emersons asking questions. Did you tell Sam anything?"

"No."

"Really?"

"No, I fucking didn't. I have other things to worry about right now. Like the fact that you ki— like the fact that my brother's gone. I've barely seen Sam anyway. I expect he's too busy mourning his own brother."

"Fine. Just checking."

"Checking whether I'm still planning on coming after you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Are you?"

"I said so and I meant it."

"Yeah, good luck with that. Stick to your comics, Edgar. Keep out of our way, and we'll keep out of yours. I'm sure you don't want to join your brother or send anyone else the same way. Am I right?"

"Don't threaten me. I'm here for a reason. I haven't forgotten that. I'm biding my time." He took a step backwards, bringing him close to his cash register, behind which I spotted a stake. So, he wasn't unarmed.

I grinned. "I'm biding mine too. Remember that."

I walked away to find the others. He still planned to have another try at taking us out, but he wouldn't do it on his own. I pitied the poor suckers he would rope in to help him. They'd end up in the sea, and Edgar would have more deaths on his conscience. I didn't particularly want to kill him, too. It was too much fun teasing him.

Another month passed and our life was peaceful, the way it had been before Star and Michael. We hunted when we needed to, Dwayne and I fell more in love, sickeningly like a romance novel, and Paul and Marko fucked random girls occasionally before they killed them. Once in a while we dropped in on Edgar to torment him, often finding Sam hanging around the store. So, the Emersons hadn't left town, and from what we saw, Edgar was in the process of recruiting Michael's little pussy of a brother. The kid shook in his shoes whenever we walked in the store, and never said a word to any of us. It made our visits even more amusing, when we could tease Edgar and almost make Sam piss his pants at the same time.

Suddenly, everything changed. Paul brought a girl back to the cavern, and screwed her on the couch, prompting Dwayne and me to quickly retreat to bed so we didn't have to watch them. Hearing them was bad enough. It didn't bother me when the others heard me going at it, but I sure as hell didn't want to see one of my brothers' dicks out. Marko stayed where he was, munching noodles and idling fussing the dogs.

Dwayne and I lay in each other's arms, chuckling when Paul's girl's cries of passion turned to screams of terror. The coppery scent of blood made our nostrils flare. Paul's boots stomped off down the passage as he went to dispose of the body, and silence fell, save for the snuffling of the dogs as they explored the murder site. Dawn came and I fell asleep, wrapped around Dwayne as always.

When I woke, it was still daylight and the dogs were snarling like they were ready to kill something. Zeus appeared and leapt up on the bed, barking in my face. Seeing I was alert, he raced away, still barking.

Dwayne opened his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Someone's here. Get up." I rose and put on my pants in the blink of an eye. Then thrust the curtain aside to see what was going on.


	13. Chapter 13

I expected to find Edgar and a couple of others, armed with garlic and holy water or some shit. I began to laugh as Dwayne and I met Paul and Marko in the centre of the cavern, but my laugh died in my throat. I came face to face with a single vampire, his face grey and lined with age, a shock of white hair standing up all over his head like a mad scientist. He was taller than me, at least six and a half feet, and power radiated from him, indicating he was centuries old.

"Who are you?" I demanded. Zeus and Mars stood snarling, hackles raised, poised ready to spring.

"Not important." His deep voice was accented. I wracked my brains for an answer, wondering if I'd seen him before. I didn't think so, but I was sure he'd been described to me. Max, my maker, had told me about him, a long time ago.

He grinned, revealing yellow fangs. "You and your little group have been drawing a lot of attention. Your antics were responsible for the death of Max."

"Who is he?" Dwayne asked in a low voice.

"Max's maker. Vincent."

The old vampire nodded in confirmation. "Yes. You're getting talked about. Causing trouble, being noticed, killing too obviously. It's time for that to end. You're giving us a bad reputation."

Marko snorted. "Vampires already have a bad reputation."

"Worse because of you." Vincent moved so fast he blurred. Suddenly he was holding Marko aloft by the neck, feet dangling, hands trying to pry old grey fingers from his throat.

"Put him down!" I rushed at Vincent, but before I got close, he threw out his free arm and I found myself flying across the room. Before I hit anything, I arrested my flight, somersaulted, and landed on my feet. Vincent chuckled, and with a quick twist and a pull, detached Marko's head from his body and tossed it away like rubbish.

Zeus and Mars attacked as one, but a quick movement from Vincent sent both of them hurtling away from him, whimpering. They launched themselves at him again, followed by Paul and Dwayne. Vincent kicked out at Zeus and sent him flying again. A well-placed strike threw Paul across the cavern and he responded in the same way I had, somersaulting to land on his feet before diving back into the attack. Mars latched onto Vincent's arm, tearing through flesh and embedding his teeth in the bone. Snarling, Vincent shook his arm. Mars' feet left the ground, but he clung on, biting and tearing.

Dwayne and Paul tore at Vincent, from each side and again, he shook Paul off and threw him away. Ignoring Mars, he grabbed Dwayne with the other hand and lifted him off the ground. Before I could react, Vincent had pulled Dwayne close enough to bite, punching his fangs into his throat.

"No!" I roared. With Vincent occupied, I sprang into the air and landed on him from above, perching on his shoulders and gripping onto his head. He released Dwayne and dropped him on the ground. Mars continued to bite through Vincent's arm and Zeus came again, leaping and aiming for the throat. With canine teeth ripping at his neck and the force of me pulling upwards, muscle and flesh split, and Vincent howled, his head connected only by his spine. Paul rushed forward, a rock in his hand, and smashed it into Vincent's neck, crushing his spine. Finally, his head came away from his body and he crumpled to the ground with me on top of him. The dogs let go and backed off, Mars with half an arm in his jaws. The body continued to twitch and squirm, until Paul lit a torch and set fire to it. Vincent's clothing and body burned, the blaze reeking of aged rotten flesh.

I turned to Dwayne, bleeding heavily on the stone floor, weakly trying to stem the flow with his hands. "Fuck. Oh, fuck. Paul, help me." I dropped to my knees, splashing into the growing pool of blood, and ripped open my own wrist with my fangs. I placed it over Dwayne's mouth and covered his hands with my free one, applying pressure to the gaping hole in his throat. "Drink, babe. Come on. You're okay. It's not your heart. You won't die from this."

"Babe?" I heard Paul mutter under his breath.

"Fuck off," I whispered.

Dwayne's fangs punctured my wrist and he gulped at the blood flowing into his mouth. Gradually, the blood gushing from his neck slowed and the wound began to shrink.

"I'll fetch you something." Paul took off and flew out of the cavern.

I continued to feed Dwayne, until his throat healed completely, and he was strong enough to sit up. Then I sank to the ground, my head in his lap, too weak to move.

"Oh, God, David. This is the second time I've done this," Dwayne groaned. "Let me…" He brought his wrist to my mouth.

"No." I retracted my fangs and lay still. "I'm fine. Just need to rest until Paul comes back."

I lay there, my clothes soaked in blood, Dwayne stroking his fingers through my hair, as the seconds ticked by. I closed my eyes, my head spinning, trying not to think too much. Thinking took too much effort. I was drained, more than the last time, and couldn't have moved if my life depended on it.

Zeus and Mars crowded around, whimpering, warm tongues touching my hands and face. Dwayne talked to me softly, reminding me of things we'd done, how I found him and changed his life forever, in a good way.

"I'm here." Paul lowered a young guy to the ground beside me. "Had to knock him out to save time." He picked up one of the guy's arms, ripped open the wrist with his fangs, and held it over my mouth. In less than a minute, I was able to sit up and go for my victim's jugular instead. I sucked every drop from his body until his heart stopped. Then I pushed him aside and wrapped my arms around Dwayne.

"I'm okay. It's okay." We clung to each other in silence, while Paul hovered, petting the dogs.

"We lost Marko," he said quietly.

"I know." I squeezed my eyes shut and hugged Dwayne tighter. "This was the last thing I expected. I thought Edgar Frog might gather his troops and come after us, but not this."

"What do you want to do?" Paul asked. "Clean up and carry on as normal?"

Slowly, I released Dwayne and got up. Blood dripped from my clothes, and I began to strip them off. Dwayne, in just as much mess as I was, undressed too.

"Hell, you're not gonna fuck, are you?" Paul wrinkled his nose.

"Yeah, you wanna watch?" I had to joke about it, or I'd have cracked. I never expected us to lose Marko. "I think it's time for us to leave this place. It's never going to be the same again, is it?"

Dwayne nodded. "I'm with you, obviously, wherever you want to go."

"Me too," Paul said at once. "I always liked Santa Carla, and I was kinda hoping to hang around a while and scare Edgar Frog and that Emerson kid a bit more. But, you know. It's not going to be half as much fun as it was with Marko."

"So, we'll leave, then. We'll get a vehicle of some sort. Something we can sleep in during the day. We'll find somewhere else to make our home."

"We could look for an RV," Dwayne suggested. "Those big ones have a couple of bedrooms. With blacked out windows it could work."

"There'd be room for the dogs, too. Right?" Paul stroked both dogs' heads.

"We won't leave the dogs, Paul, don't worry." I shot him a weak smile. Looking down at myself, naked except for my socks, and streaked with blood, I remembered what I'd been about to do and headed down the passage to the sea. Dwayne followed and we washed off every trace of the combination of Vincent's and Dwayne's blood. Meanwhile, Paul disposed of the young guy he'd brought back, put Marko to rest in the sea, and kicked around the pile of ash which was all that remained of Vincent.

We spent the next day sleeping, Dwayne and I in our usual bed, Paul in the bed that had once been Marko and Star's, accompanied by the dogs. At dusk, we went hunting for a vehicle, found a five-year-old RV with blackened windows, and paid in cash. We hunted, then set off immediately.

We left everything behind—our meagre belongings, clothes that had seen better days, and the bikes. We could get new things wherever we stopped. We took turns driving, travelling all night and sleeping in the back of the RV through the day. We didn't know where we'd end up. We didn't have a plan, only to get as far away from Santa Carla as possible and make a new home for ourselves. Maybe one day, we'd come back, but I didn't think so. It was time to put the murder capital of the world behind us and start afresh. We had forever ahead of us, and I had the love of my life with me. That was all that mattered.

**This is the end of David and Dwayne's story, but if you enjoyed it and want more, check out the sequel, Coming Home. Time for Paul to get his own story.**


End file.
